Marina Militare

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Italian Navy
Marina Militare
Italian Naval Ensign
Components
Organization
Guardia Costiera
COMSUBIN
San Marco Regiment
Command
Fleet Command
Equipment
Ships
Aircrafts
History and Traditions
Regia Marina
Battle of Lissa (1866)
Italian Mare Nostrum
After WWII Italian Navy
Adhesion to NATO

Marina Militare (the Italian Navy) is one of the four branches of the military forces of Italy. It was formed in 1946, as the Navy of the Italian Republic, from what remained of the Regia Marina. The Marina Militare celebrates the anniversary (1918) of the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István on June 10.

Contents

[edit] Ensign

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.
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.

The ensign of the Marina Militare is the Italian tricolour with Marina Militare emblem on the white third. The emblem is composed by a shield, whose four parts are reference to Medieval Italian Thalassocracies (Italian: Repubbliche Marinare):

  • 1st quarter: on red, a golden winged lion wielding a sword (Republic of Venice);
  • 2nd quarter: on white field, red cross (Republic of Genoa);
  • 3rd quarter: on blue field, white cross (Republic of Amalfi);
  • 4th quarter: on red field, white cross (Republic of Pisa).

The shield has a golden crown, that distinguish military vessels from merchant: the crown, "Corona rostrata", was proposed in 1939 by Admiral 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". Another difference with the merchant vessels flag is that the lion symbolizing the Republic of Venice has the book in its paw closed (the Mark's Gospel, that on the Republic Insignia is open on the words "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus", Peace to you Mark, my Evangelist) and it is wielding a sword.

[edit] History

The Marina Militare Italiana was born as Regia Marina on 17 March 1861, after the proclamation of the Italian Kingdom. For this period see: Regia Marina

[edit] After World War II

At the end of its five year 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:

The Amerigo Vespucci in Venice
The Amerigo Vespucci in Venice
  • 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, one of which was the sailing ship Amerigo Vespucci
  • 1 support ship and plane transport
  • various submarine units

[edit] The peace Treaty

The peace Treaty signed on 10 February 1947 in Paris was onerous for the 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.

[edit] The adhesion to NATO

The great changes in the international political situation convinced Great Britain and the 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 1948, the Kingdom of Italy became the Italian Republic, and the Regia Marina (‘’”Royal Navy”’’) took on the name of Marina Militare Italiana. 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 peninsula, loosened peace Treaty bonds by inserting the Italian nation into the Mutual Defense Assistance Programme (MDAP).

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.

[edit] The Development of the fleet

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 was carried out 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.

[edit] Present Day Marina Militare

Today's Marina Militare is a modern navy with ships of every type, such as aircraft carriers, destroyers, modern frigates, submarines, amphibious ships and plenty of other smaller ships, including oceanographic research ships. 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.

[edit] Structure and Organization

Marina Militare naval jack
Marina Militare naval jack

[edit] Structure

Marina Militare is divided into five corps:

[edit] Organization

  • Capo di Stato Maggiore della Marina - Ammiraglio di Squadra Paolo La Rosa
  • Sottocapo di Stato Maggiore della Marina - Ammiraglio di Squadra Luigi Binelli Mantelli
  • Fleet Command - Comandante in Capo della Squadra Navale (CINCNAV) Ammiraglio di Squadra Giuseppe Lertora
    • Comando Forze d'Altura COMFORAL (Taranto): ships Garibaldi, Espero, Etna, Durand de la Penne, Mimbelli, San Giorgio, San Marco, San Giusto, Elettra
      • COMSQUAFR 1 (Taranto): ships Aliseo, Euro, Zefiro, Espero, Artigliere, Bersagliere, Granatiere, Aviere, Stromboli
      • COMSQUAFR 2 (La Spezia): ships Maestrale, Grecale, Libeccio, Scirocco, Vesuvio
    • Comando delle Forze da Pattugliamento per la Sorveglianza e la Difesa Costiera COMFORPAT (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 (Brindisi):
    • Comando Forze Subacquee COMFORSUB (Taranto):
      • COMGRUPSOM: submarines Da Vinci, Pelosi, Prini, Longobardo, Gazzana, Todaro, Scirè
    • Centro di Addestramento Aeronavale MARICENTADD
    • Comando Forze Aeree COMFORAER (Santa Rosa)
    • Centro per le Telecomunicazioni e l'Informatica MARITELE (Roma)
    • Comando delle Forze di Contromisure Mine COMFORDRAG (La Spezia):
      • COMSQUADRAG 53: ships Numana, Rimini, Sapri, Termoli, Viareggio, Vieste
      • COMSQUADRAG 54: ships Alghero, Chioggia, Crotone, Gaeta, Lerici, Milazzo
    • Quartier Generale Marina QUARTGENMARINA (Roma)

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

[edit] Ships

[edit] Currently Active

The Italian frigate Maestrale (F 570) in the Indian Ocean.
The Italian frigate Maestrale (F 570) in the Indian Ocean.
The Italian training ship Amerigo Vespucci (A 5312).
The Italian training ship Amerigo Vespucci (A 5312).

Aircraft carriers

Destroyers

  • 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

Frigates

  • 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)
  • Soldati class
    • Artigliere (F 582)
    • Aviere (F 583)
    • Bersagliere (F 584)
    • Granatiere (F 585)

Corvettes

  • 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

  • Cassiopea class
    • Cassiopea (P 401)
    • Libra (P 402)
    • Spica (P 403)
    • Vega (P 404)
  • 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

  • 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

  • Todaro class
    • C.te 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)
    • Patricio (Pato) Prini (S 523)

Auxiliaries

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

Other

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

[edit] Decommissioned Ships

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

[edit] Under Construction

[edit] Planned

  • 2 U212A submarines
  • 2 improved Etna squadron replenishment ships to replace Stromboli and Vesuvio
  • 3 LPD/LHD to replace San Giorgio San Giusto San Marco
  • 1 Logistic and command ship for minehunter
  • 1 Logistic, resque and command ship for submarines

[edit] Aircraft

Aircraft Origin Type Versions In service[1] Notes
Agusta AB212 Flag of Italy Italy antisubmarine helicopter AB212 about 30 built by Agusta, originally 67
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King Flag of Italy Italy antisubmarine helicopter SH-3D 12 built by Agusta, originally 36, to be phased out in 2010
AgustaWestland EH101 Flag of Italy Italy
Flag of the United Kingdom 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 Flag of Europe European Union naval helicopter NFH
TTH		 0
0		 56 on order
Boeing AV-8 Harrier Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter
trainer		 AV-8B
TAV-8B		 15
2		 lost 1 AV-8B
Piaggio P180 Avanti Flag of Italy Italy utility transport P.180 M 3

[edit] References

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

[edit] External links

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Military of Italy

Esercito Italiano (Army)   Marina Militare (Navy)   Aeronautica Militare (Air Force)  Carabinieri (Military Police)