Built as an aircraft carrier under yard No 4367 by Italcantieri shipyard at Monfalcone, Italy for the Italian Navy.
26 March 1981 keel laid down.
04 June 1983 launched as the GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI.
Displacement 10,100 tons standard, 13.850 tons full load. Dim. 180.2 x 33.4 x 8.2m. (draught)
Powered by four Fiat/General Electric LM2500gas turbines, 82,000 hp, six diesel engines, 9,360 kW, twin shafts, speed30 knots.
Range by a speed of 20 knots, 7,000 mile.
Armament: 2 – Mk-29 octuple launchers for Sea Sparrow/Selenia Aspide SAM, 3 – Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO. 2 – 324 triple torpedo tubes. 4 – Otomat Mk 2 SSMs.
Aircraft 12-18 helicopters or 16 AV-88Harrier II aircraft or a combination.
Crew: maximum 825 including airgroup.
30 September 1985 commissioned.
GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI (551) is an Italian aircraft carrier, the first through deck aviation ship ever built for the Italian Navy, and the first Italian ship built to operate fixed-wing aircraft. She is equipped for STOVL aircraft and helicopters. The GARIBALDI was involved in combat air operations off Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya.
She is the fourth ship of the Italian Navy to be named after the 19th century Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi. All five ships, including the missile cruiser, together with an image of Garibaldi, are depicted in the crest.
Built by Fincantieri (Italcantieri) at the Monfalcone shipyards on the Gulf of Trieste, she was laid down on 26 March 1981, launched on 11 June 1983, and commissioned on 30 September 1985. GARIBALDI is classed as a CVS–ASW or Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft Carrier 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 (56 km/h; 35 mph) and can travel for 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at around 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).
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 the flight deck and satellite communications and two ILAS three 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 countermeasures 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 HarrierIIs, 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.
A 1937 law gave control of all national fixed-wing air assets to the Italian air force and only helicopters were permitted to the navy, therefore at the time of her launch she did not receive her Harriers, and she was classed as Incrociatore portaeromobili (Italian for Aircraft carrying cruiser). Until 1988 only Italian helicopters landed on her deck, as well as RN Sea Harriers during NATO joint maneuvers. This ban on Italian naval fixed-wing aircraft was lifted in 1989, and the Italian Navy received fixed-wing Harrier II fighters to fly from the GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI.
In 2009 GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI has been joined as the flagship of the Italian navy by the new and larger carrier CAVOUR .
The GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI has participated in combat operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya.
• Balkans. In 1999 with the Kosovo War, Italy committed Harrier AV-8B II+ fighters embarked aboard the GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI, from 13 May to early June 1999, 30 sorties were carried out in 63 hours of flight. The planes have used Mk 82 GBU-16 bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles. The Italian naval force in addition to the aircraft carrier GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI, with its air group, also included the Maestrale-class frigate ZEFFIRO .
• Afghanistan. Italy participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, following the attacks of 11 September 2001 and the war on terror declared by U.S. President Bush. The GIUSEPPI GARIBALDI was engaged as a command ship of GRUPNAVIT I, 1 Italian Shipping Group, which also included besides the ZEFFIRO, GARIBALDI, Garibaldi, the patrol team and the airman supplier in Etna. Set sail from Taranto 18 November 2001, training in the Indian Ocean from December 3, 2001 to March 1 next, returning to Taranto March 18, 2002. During the mission, the AV-8B Harrier unit carried out 288 missions for a total of 860 hours of flight, tasks carried out included interception/interdiction, sea and air support, and aircraft interdiction in Afghanistan.
• Libya. Participating in the 2011 military intervention in Libya after the transfer of authority to NATO and the decision to participate in strike air-ground operations, the Italian government assigned under NATO command four Italian Navy AV-8B plus (from GARIBALDI) in addition to Italian air force aircraft. As of 24 March, the Italian Navy was engaged in Operation Unified Protector with the light aircraft carrier GARIBALDI, the Maestrale-class frigate LIBECCIO and the auxiliary ship ETNA. Additionally the Orizzonte-class frigate ANDREA DORIA and Maestrale-class frigate EURO were patrolling off the Sicilian coast in an air-defence role. In total, until the end of the mission in Libya, the eight Italian Navy AV-8Bs flying from the carrier GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI dropped 160 guided bombs during 1221 flight hours.
2013 In service.
Guyana 2013 $250 sg?, scott?
Source: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_a ... aldi_(551)