The most unusual-looking warship ever to have appeared on a postage stamp must surely be the Italian Navy's hydrofoil-missile P 420, named Sparviero. Built in 1973, the craft was commissioned on July 15, 1974. Her displacement tonnage is 625 and dimensions are 80.7 x 39.7 x 14.4m. The length and beam foils can be extended. The craft has two fixed missile launchers for Otomat ship-to-ship missiles; also one OTO Melara 76 mm. automatic anti-aircraft gun. The main engine is a Proteus gas turbine driving a water jet pump. A 4,500 b.h.p. oil engine with retractable propeller unit provides for hull-borne propulsion. Maximum speed is 50 knots. She has a complement of 10. The craft was delivered to the Italian Navy as a prototype and nine more hydrofoil of this class are planned in addition to four more of the NATO type (USS. Pegasus class). SG1528