| Italian Navy Marina Militare |
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|---|---|
Coat of Arms of the Italian Navy |
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| Active | 1946 – Present (1713 as Regia Marina) |
| Country | Italy |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 35,200 personnel 72 ships (excluding auxiliaries) 80 aircraft |
| Motto | Italian: Patria e Onore "Country and Honour" |
| Anniversaries | June 10 - Sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István by Luigi Rizzo |
| Commanders | |
| capo di stato maggiore della marina | ammiraglio di squadra Paolo Goberius |
| sottocapo di stato maggiore della marina | ammiraglio di squadra Luigi Binelli Mantelli |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Aviation roundels | |
| Naval Ensign | |
| Jack | |
The Italian Navy (Marina Militare) is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 after World War 2, from what remained of the Regia Marina (Royal Navy).
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The Regia Marina was formed on 17 March 1861, after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, The Italian Navy assumed its present name after the Italian monarchy was abolished following a popular referendum held on 2 June 1946.
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:
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:
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:
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.
Great changes in the international political situation which were developing into the Cold War convinced the United Kingdom and United States to discontinue the transfer of Italy's capital ships as war reparations. Some had already been dismantled in La Spezia between 1948 and 1955, including the flagship aircraft carrier "Aquila". The Soviet Union, however, demanded the surrender of the warship "Giulio Cesare" and other naval units designated for transfer. The cruisers "Attilio Regolo" and "Scipione Africano" became the French "Chateaurenault" and "Guichen", while the "Eugenio di Savoia" became the Greek "Helli". After break up and/or transfers, only a small part of the fleet remained to be recommissioned into the Marina.
As Western attention turned to the Soviets and the Mediterranean Sea, Italian seas became one of the main sites of confrontation between the two superpowers, contributing to the re-emergence of Italy’s naval importance 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). As the Marshall Plan began to rebuild Italy and Europe was rapidly being divided into two geo-politically antagonistic blocs, Italy began talks with the United States to guarantee adequate security considerations. The government in Washington, wished to keep its own installations on the Italian Peninsula and relaxed the Treaty restrictions by including Italy in the Mutual Defense Assistance Programme (MDAP).
On 4 April 1949, Italy joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and in order for the navy to contribute actively in the organization, the Treaty restrictions were definitively repealed by the end of 1951, with the consent of all of Western nations. However, the country was still banned from possessing aircraft carriers until 1989.
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 to rebuild and transform the fleet; it also required aid from the United States to reach the necessary standards. Progress was slow due to economic pressures on Italy due to post-war rebuilding and some European governments who were concerned at seeing an Italian Navy capable of rivaling the Western naval forces imposed political obstacles to prevent Italian naval development.
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 acknowledgement of the Italian Navy's origin in 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, does not hold the gospel in its paw (as it does on the civil ensign, where the book is open at the words "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus", meaning "Peace to you Mark, my Evangelist") and is wielding a sword instead: such an image is consistent with the pictorial tradition, in which the book is shown open during peacetime and closed during wartime.
As of 2008, the Italian Navy had a strength of 35,200 active personnel with 72 ships (excluding auxiliaries) and around 80 aircraft. The total displacement of the navy was around 295,000 tons[1]
Today's Marina Militare is a modern navy with ships of every type. 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.
Figures ares sourced from the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Complete and correct as of 2010.
| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Version | Quantity[2] | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing aircraft | ||||||||
| Boeing AV-8B Harrier II | United Kingdom United States |
Ground-attack
Trainer aircraft |
AV-8B
TAV-8B |
14
2 |
Operated from an aircraft carrier. | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||||
| Agusta-Bell 212 | Italy | Maritime helicopter
Utility helicopter |
AB-212ASW
AB-212ASH |
25
6 |
Used for Anti-submarine and Anti-ship warfare.
Used for utility transport. |
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| Agusta-Sikorsky ASH-3D Sea King | Italy | Maritime helicopter
Transport helicopter |
ASH-3DASW
ASH-3DASH |
8
8 |
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| AgustaWestland EH101 | Italy | Maritime helicopter
Transport helicopter Transport helicopter Airborne early warning (AEW) |
110-ASW
410-ASH 410-TTH 112-AEW |
8
4 4 4 |
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Marina Militare is divided into seven corps (by precedence):
For the Italian Navy rank structure see: Italian Navy ranks.
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Currently 6 FREMM multipurpose frigates are confirmed to replace the Maestrale class and Lupo frigates. 2 Type 212 submarines are under construction to replace older types currently in service.
The Italian navy has received the go-ahead to procure two 20,000-ton 190 meters (623 ft.) long amphibious assault ships (LHDs), with the possibility of a third ship, configured with extensive aviation facilities (LHA)[3]
In addition the Naval auxiliary fleet will receive;
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