The cities of Rousse and Varna mark the 139^th anniversary of the Bulgarian Navy. It was founded on 12 August 1879 in the city of Rousse as a Danube Flotilla. Back at that time the Bulgarian flag was flown at four steamboats and other vessels given by Russia as a present after they had been used in the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War of Liberation. In 1897, the Naval Unit was established in Varna. In fact, the roots of the Bulgarian Navy date back to the early Middle Ages. For example, in the 9^th c., Bulgarian ships along the rivers Danube and Drava took part in wars waged by the First Bulgarian Kingdom. In the 14^th c. Despot Dobrotitsa (who reigned in Northeastern Bulgaria in 1360-1385), was with his warships one of the lords of the Black Sea who fought with the Genoese. When Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, its sea borders actually disappeared. The Navy revived in 1879 carried out successful operations during the Balkan wars /1912-13/ and the First World War. That was a great success for a new state on the map of Europe. Today the Bulgarian Navy is a highly professional and reliable partner of NATO. The program of celebrations in Rousse and Varna from 5 to 12 August includes exhibitions, concerts, military parades and ceremonies, as well as visits of citizens to the naval bases and warships. At the ceremony in Varna on 12 August military ranks will be conferred on the graduates of Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy. A memorial plaque for the sailors involved in the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War will also be unveiled.