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| [[NHI NH90]] || {{EU}} || naval helicopter || NFH<hr>TTH || 56 ||
| [[NHI NH90]] || {{EU}} || naval helicopter || NFH<hr>TTH || 56 ||
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| [[Boeing AV-8 Harrier]] || {{UK}} || fighter<hr>trainer || AV-8B<hr>TAV-8B || 14 <hr>2 || lost 1 AV-8B
| [[Boeing AV-8 Harrier]] || {{UK}} || fighter<hr>trainer || AV-8B<hr>TAV-8B || 15 <hr>2 || lost 1 AV-8B
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Revision as of 20:22, 25 March 2010

"Italian Navy" redirects here. For other uses, see Italian Navy (disambiguation).
Marina Militare
Italian Navy
Ensign of the Marina Militare. Merchant navy adopts a similar ensign, where no crown appears and the lion holds the opened book instead of a sword.
Active1946 - today
(as Regia Marina 17 March 1861 - 1946)
CountryItaly
BranchNavy
TypeNavy
Size35,200 active personnel 85 commissioned ships, 123 aircraft
Motto(s)Patria e Onore
Country and Honour
AnniversariesJune 10 - Sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István by Luigi Rizzo
Commanders
Capo di Stato Maggiore della MarinaAmmiraglio di Squadra
Paolo La Rosa
Sottocapo di Stato Maggiore della MarinaAmmiraglio di Squadra
Luigi Binelli Mantelli

The Marina Militare is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina (Royal Navy). The Marina Militare has 35,200 active troops (2008) with 85 commissioned ships and 123 aircraft of all types in service. Italian navy also has minor Blue water capabilities.

Ensign

Jack of the Italian Navy.

The ensign of the Italian Navy is the Italian tricolour defaced with the coat of arms of the Marina Militare. The quarters refer to the four Medieval Italian Thalassocracies, or "Maritime Republics" (Italian: Repubbliche Marinare):

The shield has a golden crown, that distinguish military vessels from merchant: the crown, "Corona rostrata", was proposed in 1939 by Admiral Domenico Cavagnari to the Government, as an acknowledge of the Italian Navy's origin since the Roman times. In the proposal, Adm. Cavagnari wrote that "in order to recall the common origin [of the Navy] from the Roman sailorship, the Insignia will be surmounted by the towered Crown with rostrums, the emblem of honour and valour the Roman Senate awarded to the leaders of naval victories, conquerors of lands and cities across the seas".

A further difference is that St. Mark's lion, symbolising the Republic of Venice, is holding the gospel in its paw closed (on the civil ensign it is open at the words "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus", meaning "Peace to you Mark, my Evangelist") and is instead wielding a sword.

History

The Regia Marina was formed on 17 March 1861, after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy; it assumed its present name after the Italian monarchy was abolished following a popular referendum held on 2 June 1946.

After World War II

File:RNAquila.jpg
Aircraft Carrier Aquila, damaged by Allies bombing in 1943.

At the end of its five years involvement in World War II, Italy was a devastated nation. After the end of hostilities the Regia Marina, which at the beginning of the war was the fourth largest navy in the world with a mix of modernised and new battleships, started a long and complex rebuilding process. The important combat contributions of the Italian naval forces after the signing of the armistice with the Allies on 8 September 1943 and the subsequent cooperation agreement on 23 September 1943 left the Regia Marina in a poor condition, with much of its infrastructure and bases unusable and its ports mined and blocked by sunken ships. However, a large number of its naval units had survived the war, albeit in a low efficiency state, which was due to the conflict and the age of many vessels. The vessels that remained were:

  • 2 aircraft carriers
  • 5 battleships
  • 9 cruisers
  • 11 destroyers
  • 22 frigates
  • 19 corvettes
  • 44 fast coastal patrol units
  • 50 minesweepers
  • 16 amphibious operations vessels
  • 2 school ships
  • 1 support ship and plane transport
  • various submarine units

The peace Treaty

The Peace Treaty signed on February 10, 1947 in Paris was onerous for Regia Marina. Apart from territorial and material losses, also the following restrictions were imposed:

  • A ban to own, to build or to experiment with atomic weapons, self-propulsion projectiles or relative launchers, etc…
  • A ban to own Battleships, Aircraft carriers, Submarines and Amphibious Assault units.
  • A ban to operate military installations on the islands of Pantelleria, Pianosa and on the archipelago of Pelagie Islands.

The treaty also ordered Italy to put the following ships at the disposals of the victorious nations United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Greece, Yugoslavia and Albania as war compensation:

  • 3 Battleships: Giulio Cesare, Italia, Vittorio Veneto;
  • 5 Cruisers: Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta, Attilio Regolo, Scipione Africano, Eugenio di Savoia and Eritrea;
  • 7 Destroyers, 5 of the "Soldati" class and Augusto Riboty and Alfredo Oriani;
  • 6 Minesweepers: like Aliseo and Fortunale;
  • 8 Submarines: 3 of the "Acciaio" class;
  • 1 Sailing School ship: Cristoforo Colombo.

The total displacement, battleships excluded, of the future navy was not allowed to be greater than 67,500 tons, while the staff was capped at 25,000 men.

The entry into NATO

La Spezia, 1951: RM Aquila just before being scrapped.

The great changes in the international political situation convinced the United Kingdom and United States to cease the process of handing in of the navy's large ships, which had been dismantled in La Spezia between 1948 and 1955, including the flagship aircraft carrier "Aquila". The Soviet Union, instead, claimed the handing in of the warship "Giulio Cesare" and much of units to her attributed. The cruisers "Attilio Regolo" and "Scipione Africano" became the French "Chateaurenault" and "Guichen", while the "Eugenio di Savoia" became the Greek "Helli". So only a small part of the fleet, that which was not transferred or demolished, could be reinserted in the Marina.

As US attention turned to the Soviets and the Mediterranean Sea it transformed Italian seas in one of the main places of confrontation between the two superpowers, contributing to the re-emergence of Italy’s importance and of its ports thanks to her strategic geographical position.

With the new elections in 1946, the Kingdom of Italy became a Republic, and the Regia Marina took the name of Marina Militare (Military Navy). In full Marshall Plan and in a context where Europe was going to be divided in two set against blocks, Italy began to entertain talks with the United States aimed to obtain adequate safety guarantee. The government in Washington, greatly interested to keep its own installations on the Italian Peninsula, loosened peace Treaty bonds by inserting the Italian nation into the Mutual Defense Assistance Programme (MDAP).

The Italian navy is often involved in combined NATO operations: here Marina Militare ships Maestrale and Durand de la Penne open and close this 5-nations fleet in the Oman sea.

On 4 April 1949, Italy joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), corroborating her impossibility to contributing actively in the organization: that lead to the definitive repeal of the peace Treaty bonds by the end of 1951, with the consent of all of Western nations.

Within NATO, the Marina Militare was assigned the control of the Adriatic Sea and Strait of Otranto, as well as the defence of the naval routes through the Tyrrhenian Sea. To ensure these tasks a "Studio sul potenziamento della Marina italiana in relazione al Patto Atlantico" (Study about the Development of the Italian navy with reference to the Atlantic Pact) was undertaken, which researched the structures and the methods for the development of the Marina Militare.

This solution required a great economic effort aimed at the rebuilding and transformation of the fleet; it also required aid from the United States to reach the necessary standard. However the program carried on slowly both due to the economic pressures on Italy due to the post-war period rebuilding process and by the obstacles placed by some of European governments who were concerned at seeing an Italian Navy capable of rivalling the Western naval forces.

Present Day Marina Militare

The new Cavour aircraft carrier.

Today's Marina Militare is a modern navy with ships of every type, such as:

  • 2 aircraft carriers,
  • 4 destroyers
  • 12 frigates
  • 6 submarines
  • 8 corvettes
  • 14 patrol boat
  • 3 Landing Platform Docks
  • 15 auxiliares

The fleet is in continuous evolution; the Marina Militare is now equipping herself with a bigger aircraft carrier (the Cavour), new destroyers, submarines and multipurpose frigates. In modern times, the Marina Militare, being a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations. The "Marina Militare" maintains the San Marco Regiment who serve as the marines of the Italian navy.

Structure and Organization

Structure

Marina Militare is divided into six corps:

  • Stato Maggiore (line officers)
  • Genio Navale (engineering)
  • Armi Navali (weapons and combat systems)
  • Commissariato Militare Marittimo (administration)
  • Corpo Sanitario (medical service)
  • Capitanerie di porto (coast guard)

Organization

  • Fleet Command - Comandante in Capo della Squadra Navale (CINCNAV) Ammiraglio di Squadra Giuseppe Lertora
    • Comando Forze d'Altura COMFORAL (based in Taranto): ships Garibaldi, Espero, Etna, Durand de la Penne, Mimbelli, San Giorgio, San Marco, San Giusto, Elettra
      • COMSQUAFR 1 (based in Taranto): ships Aliseo, Euro, Zefiro, Espero, Artigliere, Bersagliere, Granatiere, Aviere, Stromboli
      • COMSQUAFR 2 (based in La Spezia): ships Maestrale, Grecale, Libeccio, Scirocco, Vesuvio
    • Comando delle Forze da Pattugliamento per la Sorveglianza e la Difesa Costiera COMFORPAT (based in Augusta):
      • COMSQUACORV: ships Minerva, Urania, Danaide, Sfinge, Chimera, Driade, Fenice, Sibilla
      • COMSQUAPAT 1: ships Cassiopea, Libra, Spica, Vega
      • COMSQUAPAT 2: ships Cigala Fulgosi, Borsini, Foscari, Bettica, Sirio, Orione
    • Comando delle Forze Anfibie COMFORSBARC (based in Brindisi):
    • Comando Forze Subacquee COMFORSUB (based in Taranto):
      • COMGRUPSOM: submarines Da Vinci, Pelosi, Prini, Longobardo, Gazzana, Todaro, Scirè
    • Centro di Addestramento Aeronavale MARICENTADD
    • Comando Forze Aeree COMFORAER (based in Santa Rosa)
    • Centro per le Telecomunicazioni e l'Informatica MARITELE (based in Roma)
    • Comando delle Forze di Contromisure Mine COMFORDRAG (based in La Spezia):
      • COMSQUADRAG 53: ships Numana, Rimini, Sapri, Termoli, Viareggio, Vieste
      • COMSQUADRAG 54: ships Alghero, Chioggia, Crotone, Gaeta, Lerici, Milazzo
    • Quartier Generale Marina QUARTGENMARINA (based in Roma)

For the Italian Navy Rank Structure see: Italian Navy ranks.

Ships

Training ship Amerigo Vespucci

Fleet composition

Aircraft carriers (2)

Destroyers (4)

  • Orizzonte
    • Andrea Doria (D 553)
    • Caio Duilio (D 554)
  • Durand de la Penne class
    • Luigi Durand de la Penne (D 560) (formerly Animoso)
    • Francesco Mimbelli (D 561) (formerly Ardimentoso)

Amphibious transport dock (3)

Frigates (12)

  • Maestrale class
    • Maestrale (F 570)
    • Grecale (F 571)
    • Libeccio (F 572)
    • Scirocco (F 573)
    • Aliseo (F 574)
    • Euro (F 575)
    • Espero (F 576)
    • Zeffiro (F 577)
  • Artigliere class
    • Artigliere (F 582)
    • Aviere (F 583)
    • Bersagliere (F 584)
    • Granatiere (F 585)
Durand De La Penne destroyer
    • (10 frigates under construction)
    • Carlo Bergamini (F 586)
    • Carlo Margottini (F 587)

Corvettes (8)

  • Minerva class
    • Minerva (F 551)
    • Danaide (F 553)
    • Urania (F 552)
    • Sfinge (F 554)
    • Driade (F 555)
    • Chimera (F 556)
    • Fenice (F 557)
    • Sibilla (F 558)

OPV & Patrol boats and corvettes (14)

  • Esploratore class
    • Esploratore (P 405)
    • Sentinella (P 406)
    • Vedetta (P 407)
    • Staffetta (P 408)
  • Cassiopea 2 class
    • Sirio (P 409)
    • Orione (P 410)
  • Comandanti class
    • Comandante Cigala Fulgosi (P 490)
    • Comandante Borsini (P 491)
    • Comandante Bettica (P 492)
    • Comandante Foscari (P 493)

Mine Counter-Measure Vessels (17)

  • Lerici class - 1st series
    • Lerici (M 5550)
    • Sapri (M 5551)
    • Milazzo (M 5552)
    • Vieste (M 5553)
  • Lerici class – 2nd series
    • Gaeta (M 5554)
    • Termoli (M 5555)
    • Alghero (M 5556)
    • Numana (M 5557)
    • Crotone (M 5558)
    • Viareggio (M 5559)
    • Chioggia (M 5560)
    • Rimini (M 5561)
  • Ponza class
    • Ponza (A 5364)
    • Levanzo (A 5366)
    • Tavolata (A 5367)
    • Palmaria (A 5368)
    • Procida (A 5383)

Submarines (6)

Launch ceremony of the new Salvatore Todaro submarine
  • Todaro class
    • Salvatore Todaro (S 526)
    • Sciré (S 527)
  • Sauro IV class
    • Primo Longobardo (S 524)
    • Gianfranco Gazzana Priaroggia (S 525)
  • Sauro III class
    • Salvatore Pelosi (S 522)
    • Giuliano Prini (S 523)
    • another three in reserve

Auxiliaries (3)

  • Squadron Replenishment Ships
    • Etna (A 5326)
    • Stromboli (A 5327)
    • Vesuvio (A 5329)
  • Gasoline Tankers (4)
    • Panarea (A 5370)
    • Linosa (A 5371)
    • Favignana (A 5372)
    • Salina (A 5373)
  • Water Transports (2)
    • Ticino (A 5376)
    • Tirso (A 5377)
  • Vehicle Transport Ships (6)
    • Gorgona (A 5347)
    • Tremiti (A 5348)
    • Caprera (A 5349)
    • Pantelleria (A 5351)
    • Lipari (A 5352)
    • Capri (A 5353)
  • Weapons Test Ships (3)
    • Carabiniere (F 581) (ex Frigate)
    • Raffaele Rossetti (A 5315)
    • Vincenzo Martellotta (A 5320)

Other (2)

  • Anteo (A 5309): Submarine Rescue and Salvage Ship
  • Elettra (A 5340): Electronic Warfare Ship

Decommissioned Ships

Submarine Evangelista Torricelli (S-512), former USS Lizardfish (SS-373).

Under Construction (10)

Planned (10)

  • 1 Assault Helicopter Carrier 25,000 tonn
  • 2 Type 212 submarines
  • 2 S1000 submarines
  • 1 Orizzonte class anti-air warfare destroyer
  • 2 improved Etna squadron replenishment ships to replace Stromboli and Vesuvio
  • 3 LHD 20,000 tonn to replace LPDs San Giorgio San Giusto San Marco
  • 1 Logistic and command ship for minehunters
  • 1 Logistic, rescue and command ship for submarines

Aircraft

Template:Standard table ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service[1] ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes |----- | Agusta AB212 ||  Italy || antisubmarine helicopter || AB212 || 30 || built by Agusta, originally 67 |-----

|-----

| AgustaWestland EH101 ||  Italy

 United Kingdom || multirole naval helicopter || ASW

ASH

AEW || 8

10

4 ||for major unit

4 TTH, 4 ASH and 2 AS2H

for aircraft carrier

|-----

| NHI NH90 ||  European Union || naval helicopter || NFH

TTH || 56 ||

|-----

| Boeing AV-8 Harrier ||  United Kingdom || fighter

trainer || AV-8B

TAV-8B || 15

2 || lost 1 AV-8B

|-----

|----- | F-35B ||  United States || Stealth multi-role fighter||F-35B|| 0 || 22 on order |}

References

  1. ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
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