Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (551)

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Career (Italy) Marina Militare ensign
Name: Giuseppe Garibaldi
Builder: Fincantieri
Laid down: March 1981
Launched: 11 June 1983
Commissioned: 30 September 1985
Homeport: Taranto
Motto: "Obbedisco"
Status: Active in service as of 2008
General characteristics
Displacement: 13,850 tons
Length: 180.2 m
Beam: 33.4 m
Draught: 7.5 m
Propulsion: 4 × General Electric/Avio LM2500 gas turbines providing 82,000  hp
6 × Diesel generators (9.360 KW)
Speed: 30+ knots
Range: 7,000 nautical miles at 20 knots
Complement: 630 Crew
100 Fleet Air Arm
100 C4 staff
Sensors and
processing systems:		 MM/SPS-768 (RAN 3L) long-range radar
SPS-774 (RAN-10S) early warning radar
AN/SPS-52C early warning radar
SPS-702 CORA surface search radar
SPN-749 navigation radar
SPN-728 approach radar
RTN-30 fire control radar
RTN-10X fire control radar
DE 1160 LF hull sonar
Electronic warfare
and decoys:		 SLQ-732 jamming system
SCLAR decoy launcher
SLAT anti-torpedo system
SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy
Armament: 2 × Mk.29 octuple launcher for Sea Sparrow/Selenia Aspide SAM
3 × Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO
2 × 324 mm triple torpedo tubes
4 × Otomat Mk 2 SSMs (removed)
Aircraft carried:

AV-8B Harrier II fighter/bombers

Augusta SH-3D or AgustaWestland EH101 helicopters (ASW, ASH and AEW)
Notes: Pennant 551

Giuseppe Garibaldi (551) is an Italian aircraft carrier, the current flagship of the Marina Militare Italiana, the Italian Navy. She is named after the Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi.

It was built by Fincantieri (Italcantieri) at the Monfalcone shipyards near Gorizia. She was laid down in March 1981, launched in 1983 and was commissioned on September 30, 1985. Garibaldi is classed as a CVS–ASW (Aircraft Carrier - Anti-Submarine Warfare) and is based in Taranto.

The ship is powered by four Fiat COGAG gas turbines built under license from GE, offering a sustained power of 81,000 hp (60 MW). Driving two shafts the ship has a maximum speed of 30 knots (56km/h) and can travel for 7,000 nautical miles (13,000km) at around 20 knots (37km/h).

Giuseppe Garibaldi and the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) operate near each other in the Atlantic Ocean while participating in Majestic Eagle 2004, a multinational war exercise conducted off the coast of Morocco.
Giuseppe Garibaldi and the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) operate near each other in the Atlantic Ocean while participating in Majestic Eagle 2004, a multinational war exercise conducted off the coast of Morocco.

The ship was equipped with four Otomat Mk2 long range surface to surface missile system installed at the stern of the ship (removed in 2003 to improve flight deck and satellite communications) and two ILAS 3 triple tube torpedo launchers. Defences are provided by two eight-cell SAM launchers firing the SARH Aspide missile, additional defences are offered by three Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO CIWS.

The ship also has many Counter-measures include two SCLAR twenty-barrel launchers for chaff, decoy, flares, or jammers, the SLQ-25 Nixie and SLAT anti-torpedo systems and ECM systems.

Her air-arm consists of either a maximum sixteen AV-8B Harrier IIs, or eighteen Agusta helicopters or a mix of helicopters and fighters. The flight-deck is the characteristic off-axis design with 4 degrees ski-jump for STOL aircraft, it is 174 m long and 30,4 m wide.

The WWII peace treaty banned Italy from having an aircraft carrier, and therefore at the time of her launch she did not receive her Harriers and classed as Incrociatore portaeromobili (Italian for Aircraft carrying cruiser). Until 1988 only Italian helicopters landed on her deck, as well as RAF Harriers during NATO joint maneuvers. The ban was eventually lifted and in 1989 she obtained her own Harriers.

Garibaldi will be shortly joined as the flagship of the Italian navy by the new and larger carrier Cavour.

[edit] Other ships with the same name

Crest of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Crest of Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Giuseppe Garibaldi (551) is the fourth ship of the Italian Navy named after the 19th century Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi. Previous ships with the same name are:

All the five ships included the missile cruiser, together with an image of Garibaldi, are depicted in the crest.

[edit] External links

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Aircraft carrier classes in service