Before the First Libyan Civil War, it was a fairly typical small navy with a few missile frigates, corvettes and patrol boats to defend the coastline, but with a very limited self-defence capability.

The navy has always been the smallest of Libya's military branches and has always been dependent on foreign sources for equipment, spare parts, and training.

Initially, the effective force was limited to smaller vessels, but this changed after the rise of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 1969.

[7][8] Libyan Navy ships under the command of Rida Issa, loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, took part in the operation to liberate the city of Sirte from ISIL.

[9] On 20 June 2016, the European Union states announced that the naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea, Operation Sophia, was extended until 2017, and helped train the Libyan Navy and coast guard.

[10] In 2021, the navy (except for Haftar's forces) will be under new leadership of the new Libyan President, Mohamed al-Menfi from the Government of National Unity.

They were less well-armed as anti-aircraft ships than the Nanuchkas but, with a displacement almost twice that of a typical fast attack craft, had anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, with sonar and light torpedoes.

In July 1984, the roll-on/roll-off ferry Ghat is believed to have mined the Red Sea a few kilometres south of the Suez Canal.

Due to concerns about the safety and potential lost revenue from the canal, Egypt asked for assistance in sweeping the mines in a complex operation that involved minehunters from the French, British, Italian, Dutch, and US navies.

[12][13] Ships (1985) According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a number of vessels from the Gaddafi era remain intact under GNU control in Tripoli, although serviceability is questionable.