Italian Navy. The latest ships of the French Navy and the Italian Navy

The Italian navy recently replenished with two frigates F590" Carlo Bergamini» and F591 « Virginio Fasan» mysterious series codenamed FREMM. These ships were designed by the designers of two countries at once - Italy and France. The vessel project is considered the largest in the naval program of Europe. In addition, the ship is considered the most technologically advanced in the world.

This is the latest European multipurpose frigate class FREMM jointly developed by French and Italian shipbuilders. There are practically no impossible tasks for this ship. In various modifications, the frigate is equipped with powerful weapons, with which you can destroy submarines, air targets, hit surface ships and carry out strikes even against enemy ground targets.

D650 class frigates "Aquitaine"

In France class " Aquitaine"should replace the anti-submarine frigates of the Tourville class and small ships of the F70 class and destroyers of the Cassard class, which were put into service in the 70s and 80s of the last century.

Development of the new frigate began in 2005. The first of them was put into service at the end of 2012. According to shipbuilders frigate FREMM is unmatched in this class in several respects. First of all, according to the most modern equipment, which made it possible to reduce the number of crew to 180 people as much as possible. For example, to serve the destroyers of the F70 class, you need twice as many sailors and officers. However, some military experts believe that the reduction in the number of crew will lead to poor performance of tasks in emergency situations. The maximum speed of the ship is 27 knots. But the Italian navy retained the ability to equip the frigate with additional gas turbines. In this case, the ship can accelerate up to 30 knots.

Also, French and Italian designers install on frigate various radar equipment. Depending on the state, this can be either a multifunctional EMPAR radar or a three-dimensional Héraklès S-band radar, which can recognize targets at a distance of up to 250 kilometers. In addition, the frigate is equipped with a stationary mid-frequency acoustic station, which is equipped with 500 hydrophones, which allows the machine to accurately transmit data to the bridge even if some of the sensors fail.

On the anti-submarine version of the FREMM frigate, more powerful low-frequency towed sonars are installed. This allows you to take the hydroacoustic station out of the ship's noise field.

All ships of the FREMM class are equipped with light anti-submarine homing torpedoes MU 90. They are capable of attacking at a distance of 25 kilometers and at a depth of up to 1000 meters. Also in the mandatory arsenal frigate there is a SYLVER vertical launcher with 17 Aster15 and Aster30 medium-range anti-aircraft guided missiles. With their help, you can destroy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles or enemy shells within a radius of 20 or 70 kilometers.

French frigates equipped with two systems of anti-ship missiles Exocet MM40. Their main task is to destroy surface targets, military and transport ships of the enemy as part of strike groups or following one by one. Missiles can be used both singly and in salvo. They are able to reach the target in any weather conditions, day or night, and they will not go astray due to the programmable adaptive homing head. With intense interference or during enemy fire resistance, the Exocet missile is able to change frequency and again become invisible to enemy electronic traps. Moreover, the designers equipped one of the versions of the projectile with a turbojet engine to hit coastal targets.

Laughter, as you know, prolongs life, and when it comes to Regia Marina Italiana, life is doubly extended.

An explosive mixture of Italian love of life, negligence and slovenliness can turn any useful undertaking into a farce. There are legends about the Royal Italian Navy: during the war years, Italian sailors achieved a fantastic result - the loss of the fleet exceeded the payroll of the Italian Navy! Almost every Italian ship perished / sank / was captured during its service twice, and sometimes three times.

There is no other ship in the world like the Italian battleship Conte di Cavour. For the first time, the formidable battleship was sunk at its anchorage on November 12, 1940, during a British air raid on the Taranto naval base. "Cavour" was raised from the bottom and stood for the entire war under repair, until it was flooded by its own crew in September 1943 under the threat of capture by German troops. A year later, the Germans raised the battleship, but at the end of the war, Cavour was again destroyed by Allied aircraft.

The mentioned attack on the naval base of Taranto became a textbook example of Italian punctuality, accuracy and diligence. The pogrom in Taranto, perpetrated by British pilots, is comparable in scale to Pearl Harbor, but it took the British twenty times less effort than the Japanese hawks to attack the American base in Hawaii.

The add-ons of the battleship "Conte di Cavour" plaintively look at us from the water

20 Swordfish plywood biplanes smashed the main base of the Italian fleet to shreds in one night, sinking three battleships right at the anchorages. For comparison, in order to “get” the German Tirpitz, hiding in the polar Altenfjord, British aviation had to make about 700 sorties (not counting sabotage using mini-submarines).

The reason for the deafening defeat in Taranto is elementary - the hardworking and responsible Italian admirals, for unclear reasons, did not pull the anti-torpedo net properly. For which they paid.

Other incredible adventures of pasta Italian sailors look no less bad:

The submarine "Ondina" fell in an unequal struggle with the South African trawlers Protea and Southern Maid (battle off the coast of Lebanon, July 11, 1942);

The destroyer "Sebenico" was boarded by the crew of a German torpedo boat right in the port of Venice on September 11, 1943 - immediately after the surrender of Nazi Italy. The former allies threw the Italians overboard, seized the destroyer and, renaming the Sebeniko TA-43, used it to guard the Mediterranean convoys until the spring of 1945.

The Italian submarine "Leonardo da Vinci" failed off the coast of Africa, a high-speed 21,000-ton liner "Empress of Canada". There were 1,800 people on board the liner (400 died) - half of whom, ironically, were Italian prisoners of war.
(however, the Italians are not alone here - similar situations occurred regularly during the Second World War)

etc.

Italian destroyer "Dardo" meets the end of the war

It is no coincidence that the British are of the opinion: "Italians build ships much better than they know how to fight on them."

And the Italians really knew how to build ships - the Italian school of shipbuilding has always been distinguished by noble swift lines, record speeds and the incomprehensible beauty and grace of surface ships.

The fantastic battleships of the Littorio class are among the finest pre-war battleships. Heavy cruisers of the Zara type are an ingenious calculation, where all the advantages of the favorable geographical position of Italy in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea are used (to hell with seaworthiness and autonomy - the native coast is always close). As a result, the Italians managed to embody the optimal combination of security / fire / mobility in the Zar design, with an emphasis on heavy armor. The best cruisers of the "Washington" period.

And how can one not recall here the Black Sea leader "Tashkent", also built at the shipyards of Livorno! Full speed 43.5 knots, and in general, the ship turned out to be excellent.

Battleships of the "Littorio" type firing at the ships of the British squadron (battle at Cape Spartivento, 1940)
The Italians hit the Berwick cruiser, seriously damaging the latter.

Alas, despite the advanced technical equipment, the Regia Marina, once the most powerful of the fleets in the Mediterranean, mediocrely lost all the battles and turned into a laughingstock. But was it really so?

Slandered Heroes

The British can joke all they want, but the fact remains that in the battles in the Mediterranean, Her Majesty's fleet lost 137 ships of the main classes and 41 submarines. Another 111 surface combat units were lost by the allies of Great Britain. Of course, half of them were sunk by German aircraft and submariners of the Kriegsmarine - but even the remaining part is enough to forever record the Italian "sea wolves" in the pantheon of great naval warriors.

Among the trophies of the Italians -

Battleships of Her Majesty "Valient" and "Queen Elizabeth" (undermined by Italian combat swimmers on the road of Alexandria). The British themselves classify these losses as constructive total loss. Speaking in Russian, the ship is turned into a battered pile of metal with negative buoyancy.
Damaged battleships, one after another, fell to the bottom of the Alexandria Bay and knocked out of action for a year and a half.

Heavy cruiser York: sunk by Italian saboteurs using high-speed boats loaded with explosives.

Light cruisers Calypso, Cairo, Manchester, Neptune, Bonaventure.

Dozens of submarines and destroyers under the flags of Great Britain, Holland, Greece, Yugoslavia, Free France, the USA and Canada.

For comparison, the Soviet Navy during the war years did not sink a single enemy ship larger than a destroyer (by no means a reproach to Russian sailors - a different geography, conditions and nature of the theater of operations). But the fact remains that the Italian sailors have dozens of bright naval victories. So do we have the right to laugh at the achievements, exploits and inevitable mistakes of "pasta"?

Battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth on the roads of Alexandria

Submariners brought no less glory to the Regia Marina - such aces as Gianfranco Gazzana Priorogia (sank 11 transports with a total weight of 90,000 tons) or Carlo Fecia di Cossato (16 trophies). In total, a galaxy of the ten best Italian aces of submarine warfare sank over a hundred Allied ships and vessels with a total displacement of 400,000 tons!

Ace submariner Carlo Fezia di Cossato (1908 - 1944)

During the years of World War II, Italian ships of the main classes made 43,207 exits to the sea, leaving 11 million fiery miles behind. The sailors of the Italian Navy have escorted countless convoys in the Mediterranean theater - according to official figures, Italian sailors have organized the delivery of 1.1 million troops and more than 4 million tons of various cargoes to North Africa, the Balkans and islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The return route was carrying precious oil. Often, cargo and personnel were placed directly on the decks of warships.

The statistics say: transport ships under the cover of the Regia Marina delivered 28,266 Italian and 32,299 German trucks and tanks to the African continent. In addition, in the spring of 1941, 15,951 pieces of equipment and 87,000 pack animals were transported along the route Italy - the Balkans.

In total, during the period of hostilities, the warships of the Italian Navy put up 54,457 mines on communications in the Mediterranean Sea. The Regia Marina Maritime Patrol Aircraft flew 31,107 sorties, spending 125,000 hours in the air.

The Italian cruisers Duca d'Aosta and Eugenio di Savoia lay a minefield off the coast of Libya. A few months later, a British strike formation would be blown up on exposed mines. The cruiser "Neptune" and the destroyer "Kandahar" will go to the bottom

How do all these figures fit in with the ridiculous image of crooked-armed loafers, doing nothing but chewing their spaghetti?

The Italians have long been great sailors (Marco Polo), and it would be too naive to believe that during the Second World War they just threw out the “white flag”. The Italian Navy took part in battles around the world - from the Black Sea to the Indian Ocean. And high-speed Italian boats were noted even in the Baltic and on Lake Ladoga. In addition, Regia Marina ships operated in the Red Sea, off the coast of China, and, of course, in the cold expanses of the Atlantic.

The Italians beat Her Majesty's fleet great - just one mention of the "black prince" Valerio Borghese confused the entire British Admiralty.

Bandito diversanto

“... Italians, in a certain sense, are much smaller soldiers, but much bigger bandits” / M. Weller/
Faithful to the traditions of the legendary "Sicilian mafia", Italian sailors turned out to be unsuitable for honest naval battles in an open format. The massacre at Cape Matapan, the shame at Taranto - the linear and cruising forces of the Regia Marina showed their complete inability to withstand the well-trained fleet of Her Majesty.

And if so, then it is necessary to force the enemy to play by the Italian rules! Submarines, human torpedoes, combat swimmers and boats with explosives. The British fleet was in big trouble.

Scheme of the attack of the naval base Alexandria

... On the night of December 18-19, 1941, a British patrol caught two eccentrics in "frog" clothes from the Alexandria Bay. Realizing that things were not clean, the British battened down all the hatches and doors in the watertight bulkheads of the battleships, gathered on the upper deck and prepared for the worst.

The captured Italians, after a short interrogation, were locked in the lower rooms of the doomed battleship, in the hope that the "pasta" would finally "break" and still explain what was happening. Alas, despite the danger that threatened them, the Italian combat swimmers steadfastly kept silent. Until 6:05 a.m., when powerful demolition charges went off under the bottoms of the battleships Valient and Queen Elizabeth. Another bomb tore apart a naval refueling tanker.

Despite the biting "slap" from the Italian Navy, the British paid tribute to the crews of "man-torpedoes".

"One can only admire the cold-blooded courage and enterprise of the Italians. Everything was carefully thought out and planned."

- Admiral E. Cunningham, Commander of the Mediterranean Forces of Her Majesty's Fleet

After the incident, the British frantically swallowed air and looked for ways to protect their naval bases from Italian saboteurs. The entrances to all the major Mediterranean naval bases - Alexandria, Gibraltar, La Valetta were tightly blocked with nets, dozens of patrol boats were on duty on the surface. Every 3 minutes, another depth bomb flew into the water. However, over the next two years of the war, another 23 Allied ships and tankers became victims of frog people.

In April 1942, the Italians deployed an assault detachment of high-speed boats and mini-submarines to the Black Sea. At first, the "sea devils" were based in Constanta (Romania), then in the Crimea and even in Anapa. The result of the actions of Italian saboteurs was the death of two Soviet submarines and three cargo ships, not counting the many sorties and sabotage on the coast.

The capitulation of Italy in 1943 caught the "special operations" department by surprise - the "black prince" Valerio Borghese had just begun preparations for another grandiose operation - he was going to play a little "naughty" in New York.

Italian mini-submarines in Constanta

Valerio Borghese - one of the main ideologists and inspirers of Italian combat swimmers

The colossal experience of the team of Valerio Borghese was appreciated in the post-war years. All available techniques, technologies and developments have become the basis for the creation and training of special SEAL units around the world. It is no coincidence that Borghese combat swimmers are the main suspects in the sinking of the battleship Novorossiysk (captured Italian Giulio Cesare) in 1955. According to one version, the Italians could not survive their shame and destroyed the ship, so that it would not fly under the enemy flag. However, this is all just speculation.

Epilogue

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Italian navy is a compact European fleet armed with the most modern ships and maritime systems.
The modern Italian fleet is nothing like the crooked Leaning Tower of Pisa: the training and equipment of Italian sailors meets the most stringent NATO standards and requirements. All ships and aircraft are built into a single information space, when choosing weapons, the benchmark is shifted towards purely defensive means - anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-submarine weapons, short-range self-defense means.

The Italian Navy has two aircraft carriers. There is a high-quality underwater component and basic naval aviation. The Italian Navy regularly takes part in peacekeeping and special missions around the globe. Technical means are constantly being updated: when choosing weapons, electronic means of navigation, detection and communication, priority is given to leading European developers - British BAE Systems, French Thales, and also Marconi's own corporation. Judging by the results, the Italians are doing great.

Nevertheless, one should not forget the words of the commander Alexander Suvorov: There is no land in the world that would be so dotted with fortresses as Italy. And there is no land that has been conquered so often.

The newest Italian aircraft carrier "Cavour"

"Andrea Doria" - one of two Italian frigates of the "Horizon" class (Orizzonte)

Statistical data -
"The Italian Navy in World War II" by Captain 2nd Rank Mark Antonio Bragadin

Illustrations –
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://waralbum.ru/

As a result of the defeat of the Nazi coalition in World War II, it lost almost its entire navy. Under the Peace Treaty, she was forbidden to own and build submarines, and the total tonnage of naval warships was not to exceed 67,500 tons. However, after Italy joined the aggressive bloc in 1949, in violation of the articles of the Peace Treaty, the country's ruling circles, with support, began to restore and active construction of their Navy.

At present, as reported in the foreign press, the Italian Navy has more than 120 warships (their tonnage far exceeds the above-mentioned restrictions), about 130 auxiliary ships (total displacement 75,000 tons) and up to 100 anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters. The number of personnel of the Navy is 45 thousand people.

The Italian Navy consists of the Navy, Navy Aviation and Marine Corps. The fleet includes a squadron, minesweepers and auxiliary vessels. The squadron, which unites all warships of the main classes, organizationally consists of divisions of surface ships and groups of submarines, as well as a mobile rear. In addition, there is a detachment of training ships, a division of torpedo boats and coastal groups of boats, which, depending on the situation, are attached to divisions of ships. Minesweeping forces include all minesweepers and are subdivided into minesweeping groups assigned to individual naval districts. Naval aviation has about 30 anti-submarine aircraft, up to 20 aircraft and about 50 anti-submarine helicopters and AB-204Bs. Aircraft of naval aviation are consolidated into three air groups and are under the operational control of the command of the Navy. Most of the AB-204B anti-submarine helicopters are used from ships. The marines are represented by a battalion and several sabotage and reconnaissance units.

The basis of the Italian fleet is a cruiser, two frigates and four destroyers equipped with American missile systems, and, as well as destroyers (four units) and patrol ships (23). Almost all of them were built recently and equipped with modern artillery and mine-torpedo weapons, as well as relatively new radar and sonar stations. Most of them are armed with anti-submarine helicopters. According to the Italian press, the new ships are equipped with systems for automatic remote control of mechanisms and are adapted for combat operations in the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons.

In addition, the fleet includes 11 submarines, four naval, 36 basic and 20 raid minesweepers, eight torpedo boats, three landing transports and two tank landing ships, boats with interchangeable weapons and a hydrofoil missile boat.

The ten-year program for the development of the Italian Navy, adopted in December 1974, provides for the construction of four URO patrol ships (total displacement 2500 tons), two Sauro-class submarines and four hydrofoil missile boats (displacement 220 tons), re-equipment of ten minesweepers into minesweepers - mine seekers, as well as equipping some ships with rocket weapons and modern electronic equipment. 1,000 billion liras have been allocated for these purposes.

The command of the Italian Navy during the combat training of the fleet pays great attention to the issues of anti-submarine and air defense of formations of ships at sea, trawling and landing of amphibious assault forces, as well as the protection of sea lanes, especially in the coastal zone. These issues are constantly worked out in almost all exercises conducted both according to national plans and through NATO.

The military-political leadership of the aggressive NATO bloc assigns a special place to Italy in its military preparations, figuratively calling it a giant "aircraft carrier" or "a bridge thrown over the Mediterranean Sea." At the same time, it takes into account the location of Italy in the strategically important area of ​​​​the South European theater of operations, which allows its fleet to control sea lanes connecting the European countries of the North Atlantic bloc with the states of the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, which have huge reserves of oil and other types of strategic raw materials. And the receipt of these raw materials from these countries, especially oil, according to Western military experts, will have a significant impact on the conduct of military operations in the European theater of war. In addition, the superiority in forces in the Mediterranean, according to the NATO command, creates favorable conditions for striking the flank of the Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, and also makes it possible to control the sea lanes leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

All this is taken into account by the bloc's command when determining the place and role of the Italian Navy in the general plans for the use of NATO's combined armed forces on.

According to the NATO command, Italy currently has a navy that, in terms of its combat strength, ranks fourth among the navies of the capitalist countries (after the USA, Great Britain and France). They are considered an important component of the united armed forces of the bloc in the aforementioned theater. The role and importance of the Italian Navy increased especially after France's withdrawal from the NATO military organization. Before that, as reported in the foreign press, the Italian Navy in the block system was responsible for the security of only the central part of the Mediterranean Sea, and after the withdrawal of the French Navy from NATO control, the maritime area of ​​​​responsibility of the Italian fleet extended to its western part.

The military-political leadership of the North Atlantic bloc, as part of military preparations, created a special command of the NATO combined naval forces in the South European theater of operations, the main purpose of which is to exercise operational control of the naval forces of the bloc countries in case of war and coordinate their combat operations in certain areas Mediterranean basin.

The combined NATO navies in the theater include the navies of Italy, Greece and Turkey, as well as British ships, American diesel submarines and basic patrol aircraft located in the Mediterranean. All these forces and means in peacetime are subordinate to the national commands. Their transfer to the operational subordination of the block command is planned only with the outbreak of war, when a state of emergency is declared or during the period of joint naval exercises. The combined NATO navies in the theater are headed by an Italian admiral, who is responsible for developing plans for their use, supervises the combat and operational training of the Italian, Greek and Turkish navies, organizes and conducts exercises with the participation of the combined navies.

As reported in the foreign press, the united navies of the bloc are entrusted with the following tasks: ensuring and supporting combat operations of strike navies, combating enemy submarines and surface ships, blockade of the Black Sea straits in order to prevent the exit of enemy ships from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, support of ground forces on coastal directions, ensuring the landing and operations of amphibious assault forces, protecting sea lanes.

All these tasks are constantly practiced in exercises and maneuvers, which are carried out annually not only according to the operational and combat training plans of the joint naval forces, but also of the joint NATO armed forces in the South European theater of operations. Judging by the reports of the foreign press, the degree of participation of the Italian Navy in the development and solution of the listed tasks is as follows.

Provision and support of shock naval forces

As is known, the NATO strike navies in the South European theater of operations include the US 6th Fleet, which has been permanently stationed in the Mediterranean since 1948. In peacetime, he is subordinate to the Pentagon. In case of war or for the period of major exercises involving all types of armed forces, the 6th Fleet will be transferred to the operational subordination of the NATO Commander-in-Chief in the South European theater of operations. In the event of a crisis, the Italian ships of the URO (a cruiser, two frigates and four destroyers) are planned to be assigned to NATO strike navies to reinforce the 60th task force of the 6th fleet. This, according to the NATO command, will provide significant support to the strike formation before the arrival of other ships of the US fleet from naval bases located on US soil.

It was reported in the foreign press that the task of the 60th task force included: delivering strikes with both conventional and nuclear weapons against land and sea targets; providing direct support to ground forces operating in the coastal direction and amphibious assault forces during their landing and combat operations on the coast. More than half of the time allotted annually for combat training of the 6th Fleet is spent on working out these tasks together with the ships of the NMS of Italy and other NATO countries in the Mediterranean Sea, which, according to American military experts, ensures high mobility and constant combat readiness of the combined navies to conduct limited wars. Supporting actions, depending on the prevailing situation, include measures for anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and mine defense in the maritime zone of responsibility of the Italian fleet, carried out by specially dedicated naval forces.

Fight against enemy submarines and surface ships

According to the views of the NATO command, the success of solving the main tasks of the naval forces in the theater of operations will largely depend on the effectiveness of the fight against the enemy's submarine fleet. The submarine threat is now considered the main obstacle to NATO naval dominance in a future war. Therefore, the training of anti-submarine missions prevails over other types of combat training of the combined navies in the theater. To this end, special bilateral exercises of the Medasweks type are held annually, as well as exercises and maneuvers of various types in terms of the composition of the involved forces and means.

Recently, the exercises have begun to pay more attention than before to the fight against surface ships. This is due, as foreign press reports testify, to the entry into the Mediterranean of the Soviet Navy, which became an obstacle to the implementation of the aggressive plans of NATO strategists in this area.

Blockade operations in the zone of the Black Sea straits and measures for the antiamphibious defense of their coast, according to the naval specialists of the NATO countries, should be carried out by specially created strike groups from large ships of the joint navies, as well as mine and net minelayer detachments of the navies of coastal states. It is envisaged to set up net and minefields on approaches to naval bases, ports, the strait zone and landing-accessible areas of the coast in advance, that is, before the emergence of an immediate threat of armed conflict.

Ground forces support

Support for ground forces operating in the coastal areas of the South European theater of operations is practiced at large annual exercises of the type conducted by the combined armed forces in the theater. As a rule, a large number of ships of the US 6th Fleet, the British Navy, Italy, Greece and Turkey are involved in such exercises. When solving the tasks of providing support to ground forces in the offensive, as well as in the antiamphibious defense of their coast, the command of the joint NATO naval forces in the South European theater of operations will give priority to ships with missile and artillery weapons. Judging by reports in the foreign press, during the exercises, this command formed strike groups, the basis of which were Italian URO ships.

Ensuring the landing and operations of amphibious assault forces

Amphibious operations occupy a significant place in the plans for operational and combat training of the fleets of NATO countries. In almost all major exercises of the united armed forces of the bloc in the South European theater of operations, a battalion of marines of the Italian Navy, together with units of the US and British marines, constantly participates as a tactical landing. Destroyers and patrol ships are involved in guarding the landing at sea crossings, and auxiliary ships are involved in delivering the landing to the landing site and providing logistics for its operations on the coast.

Protection of sea lanes

The successful conduct of the war makes the NATO command directly dependent on the reliable provision of sea communications. The great length of communication routes in the Mediterranean makes it necessary to have a significant number of various forces and means for their protection. It is believed that in a future war, the transportation of troops, weapons, military equipment and other military supplies by sea may increase in comparison with the same transportation during the Second World War.

To ensure maritime transport in the Mediterranean world, it is planned to attract most of the Italian destroyers and patrol ships. As reported in the foreign press, all merchant ships of the NATO countries, when passing there in wartime, will be reduced to convoys, the provision of which will be carried out in the western and central parts of the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian Navy. But if and takes part in hostilities, then the Italian fleet will be responsible only for escorting convoys in the central part of the sea. At the same time, the minesweeping forces of the Italian Navy are intended to select and ensure safe routes at sea and approaches to Italian ports.

In accordance with the plans of the NATO command, anti-submarine aircraft of the Italian naval aviation will be part of the joint NATO air patrol forces in the Mediterranean.

At present, judging by reports in the foreign press, the command of the joint armed forces of NATO in the South European theater of operations is studying the possibility of redistributing the forces available in NATO in the Mediterranean, which is caused by the recent statement by the Greek government about the withdrawal of Greece from the military organization of the bloc, as well as some reduction in the number British Navy in the area. All this, as some foreign experts believe, may entail a new increase in the maritime area of ​​​​responsibility of the Italian fleet, which will be approximately 3/4 of the Mediterranean Sea basin, as well as the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas.

The Italian Navy is considered modern and highly combat-ready, but, according to some naval experts, they are still not able to effectively control and maintain maritime communications in the Mediterranean. Since the striking forces of the NATO Navy (US 6th Fleet) in the event of an armed conflict are to be used to support the combined ground forces in the theater of operations, it is considered expedient to attract destroyers and patrol ships of the English fleet, whose arrival is planned from the metropolis, to strengthen the Italian Navy. To strengthen the southern flank of the block, the command proposes, on the basis of the NATO naval formation for “on call” operations that has existed since May 1970 (one ship each from the US, British, Italian, Greek and Turkish navies), to create a permanent formation of NATO naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea, similar to a permanent NATO naval force in the Atlantic.

According to the Italian press, the Italian government is studying the deployment on its territory of those American military bases that can be liquidated in Greece. As you know, the United States has already reached an agreement on the equipment and use of the Maddalena naval base, and at present (after Greece announced its withdrawal from the NATO military organization), the bloc’s command has already begun to implement plans for “compensation” by restoring abandoned military installations from the Second World War wars on the Italian islands in the Mediterranean. In particular, such work under the supervision of Pentagon specialists began on about. Pantelleria.

Thus, in the general system of preparing NATO for war, the leadership of this bloc considers the Italian Navy as a significant force in the South European theater of operations and assigns them an important role in monitoring the sea routes of communication in the Mediterranean basin. In turn, the militarist circles of Italy are taking all measures to further strengthen the positions of the aggressive bloc of imperialism in this strategically important region of the world.

The Italian Navy The general management of the naval forces is entrusted to the chief of the general staff of the armed forces, the direct responsibility is to the chief of the main headquarters of the navy, who actually performs the functions of commander. Through his headquarters, he manages the commands of the fleet, naval aviation, combat swimmers and saboteurs, as well as forces 4 naval districts and 2 nuclear commands. The main headquarters of the Rome Navy is the main governing body and is developing plans for construction, mobilization deployment, combat use, combat training, as well as improving the organizational and staff structure.

In addition, the main headquarters organizes reconnaissance and counterintelligence, directs the recruitment, training, and indoctrination of personnel. Organizationally, the Navy includes a fleet of an aviation squadron, the forces of four naval districts, the forces of two island military forces, the command of combat swimmers, the command of saboteurs Teseo Tezei. The combat strength of the fleet includes three NK divisions and three brigades of submarines, corvettes, minesweeping forces. The Commander of the Fleet Headquarters in Taranto is also the Commander of the Allied Naval Forces of NATO in the Central Mediterranean Sea. On issues of operational use in combat training, naval aviation is subordinate to the main headquarters of the naval forces, and logistics is organized and carried out by the relevant structures of the air force. It includes a fighter-attack aviation squadron, two base patrol aviation wings and five separate squadrons of anti-submarine helicopters.

The coast of the continental part of Italy and the island with the adjacent water area are divided into 4 military units of the Upper Tyrrhenian Lower Tyrrhenian Ionian Adriatic district and 2 nuclear naval commands of the island of Sicily of the island of Sardinia. The commanders of the districts and island commands report directly to the chief of the main headquarters of the Navy. The commanders of the military forces of the district are responsible for organizing the defense of the military forces of bases, ports and coasts, maintaining a favorable operational regime in the coastal waters of the district, and organizing the logistics of ships. In his subordination are VM bases, communication centers, support units, supply depots, repair shops, educational institutions, hospitals located in the area of ​​​​responsibility.

The total number of personnel of the Italian Navy reaches 45,000 people 44,200 - in the fleet, incl. 2,600 in the Naval Aviation and 800 in the Marine Corps.

The ship composition of the fleet of regular forces includes 61 warships and 60 boats.

The most modern are the light aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, most of the submarines, frigates and corvettes. Aviation of the Navy is subdivided into aircraft carrier and base aviation. The command of combat swimmers and saboteurs consists of a detachment of combat swimmers and saboteurs and a group of support ships. The Marine Corps is represented by the San Marco Marine Battalion, which is stationed in Brindisia and is part of the third division of the fleet. Ship composition of the Italian Navy Aircraft carriers 1Cruisers 1Destroyers 4Frigates 18Corvettes and patrol ships 13Tranco-landing ships, boats 3minesweepers 13Patrol combat boats 7Missile combat boats 6.

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In addition, the main headquarters organizes intelligence and counterintelligence, directs the recruitment, preparation, and indoctrination of personal .. The coast of the continental part of Italy and the island with adjacent waters .. It subordinates military bases, communication centers, support units, supply depots, repair shops. .

Italian Constitution of 1947 and constitutional reforms
After the complete unification of Italy in 1870, the Albertine Statute became the Constitution of the whole country. By its nature, the Albertine Statute -.. The democratic constitutional development of Italy was interrupted in 1922.. This position of the crown facilitated the liquidation of the fascist regime in 1943 after the defeat of Italy in World War II..

Typology of online foreign publications (on the example of Italy)
In almost all countries, the blogosphere is now actively developing - electronic diaries that are kept by people of all ages and professions.. In Italy, a large number of online publications: from nationwide to..

Renaissance Italian Literature
European states, having developed their own production, ceased to need Italian goods. True, people are still going to Italy .. World trade routes have moved. Life in England became more active. Foreign troops robbed and terrorized the population. In the second half of the 16th century, Spain subjugated almost ..

Economy of Italy
Italy is located in the center of Southern Europe, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, so even in ancient times, many cities of the Apennine Peninsula .. These were city-republics that had a large number of military and .. But the Great geographical discoveries in the XV-XVI centuries. led to the decline of the maritime republics of Italy. The main sea routes of Europe..

Parliament of Italy
The executive power was controlled by Statute by the king. In the process of evolution, however, the legislative power was actually transferred entirely to .. The situation changed in 1922 with the advent of fascism to power, when the parliament was under .. availability if not..

Renaissance art in Italy
Without the Renaissance, there would be no modern civilization. The cradle of Renaissance art, or the French Renaissance. Renaissance, was Italy. Art.. Humanism proclaimed the highest value of man and his good. Humanists .. The great past, constantly reminding of itself in Italy, was perceived at that time as the highest perfection, while ..

Renaissance in Italy
The art of antiquity sang a hymn to a man - a representative of a victorious, reasonable and beautiful race. A man unsatisfied, thirsty.. Less obvious, at a superficial glance, is the continuity in relation to.. Only Italy was the classical center of the Renaissance culture. Periods of the history of Italian culture are commonly referred to as ..

About the Bologna reform in Italy
Its main goal was to include Italian education in the common European system of university education. In addition, its task was.. The concept of "credit" and credit units was introduced, each of which.. What are its practical results? First of all, it should be noted that in recent years the level of education in..

Art of Italy
Typical for his works: 1. Fractionality of the mass of the building; 2. Dematerialization of stone masses; 3. Dynamism of decisions; 4. Rich interior decoration: gold. Typical for his works: 1. Elegance combined with mathematical calculation; 2.. The most famous works: "David" - dynamism (the body is turned around its axis), muscle tension, expression ..

0.04

The history of the Italian naval forces begins in 1946, after the end of World War II. At that time, the fleet was in a catastrophic state: the territorial waters were full of mines and sunken ships, the infrastructure required the construction of all buildings from scratch, it was necessary to build new ships. At the same time, there were a number of restrictions, according to which the country was forbidden to have aggressive strike weapons, it could not use nuclear weapons and had restrictions on the total number of ships.

Today, the Italian Navy performs two main tasks: protecting national interests and ensuring security in the world in close cooperation with NATO.

Structure and deployment of the Italian Navy

Structurally, the Navy is divided into surface and submarine fleets, aviation and marines, together with special forces.

The following naval territories of Italy are distinguished:

1. Northern zone
2. Southern zone
3. Island of Sicily
4. Central zone

Starting in 2005, the Italian Navy launched a process of renewal of the ship's composition and naval aviation. To date, not all planned vessels are in service, many of them are under construction.

Aircraft carriers

At the moment, the Italian Navy owns two aircraft carriers:

• Cavour - has been part of the combat forces since 2009, can serve as a landing ship, can accommodate up to 415 people, 50 armored vehicles or 24 heavy battle tanks. Aviation consists of 8 AV-8B Harrier II aircraft and 12 Agusta Westland AW101 helicopters.
• Giuseppe Garibaldi - is the flagship of the Italian Navy, in service since 1985, accommodates 16 AV-8B Harrier II aircraft or 18 Augusta SH-3D (AgustaWestland AW101) helicopters. By 2022, it is planned to replace the ship with a newer aircraft carrier.

Also in service are 3 San Giorgio-type landing helicopter carriers with the following aircraft: 5 AW-101 aircraft or 5 Agusta Bell AB-212 helicopters. Decommissioning is planned for 2019.

Submarines

Submarines are presented in 2 classes:

• "Torado", type 212 - diesel-electric submarines built in Germany at the beginning of the 21st century. As of 2017, the fleet owns 4 ships, weapons include Triton anti-ship missiles, torpedo weapons, and mines.
• "Sauro" - diesel submarines of Italian production, built in the late 80s and early 90s. 4 vessels remained in service. On board are Whitehead A-184 torpedoes and mines.

destroyers

4 destroyers of the class "Orizzonte" (new) and "Durand de la Penne" (preparing to be replaced) have the following weapons on board:

• Aster anti-aircraft missiles with a range of 1.7 km to 120 km;
• TESEO Mk-2/A anti-ship missiles;
• Torpedoes VASS B515/1;
• 1 AW-101 or SH90A helicopter.

Battleships

All Italian battleships were sunk during World War II, the results of the battles showed that these types of ships were outdated and their further construction was inappropriate.

Frigates

As of 2017, the Italian Navy has 3 types of frigates:

• "Maestrale" - 8 ships, originally built for anti-submarine defense, but they also do an excellent job with anti-aircraft tasks. At the moment, 6 vessels remain in service, which are also planned to be replaced. The armament includes the Teseo Mk.2 anti-ship missile launcher, the Albatros air defense missile launcher, the Aspide missile defense system, and AB-212 helicopters.
• Lupo are light patrol frigates built in the 80s. 2 ships remain in service, armament includes AB-212ASW helicopter, Sea Sparrow/Aspide SAM launcher, Mark 32 torpedoes.
• Bergamini - 6 ships are in service in 2017, 4 more will appear before 2021. The following weapons are on board: Aster missiles, Teseo \\ Otomat MK-2 anti-ship missiles, MU 90 torpedoes, SH90 helicopters.

boats

Landing craft are represented by the following types: LCM62, MTM217, MTP96. The total number of 20 ships. These ships also carry out escort missions.

Patrol boats of the Cassiopea type were built in the 80s, at the moment there are 4 vessels in service. They are designed to patrol in safe areas.

minesweepers

Mine-sweeping ships are represented by the Lerici type, which includes the following subspecies:

• Lerici - 4 vessels, put into operation in 1985, on board there are 4 officers, 7 divers, 36 people - other personnel, from the weapons of the Oerlikon gun, the Oropesa anti-mine system.
• Gaeta - 8 ships, in service since 1996. Differences from the first type: elongated hull, improved radars.

By 2018, the release of new, even more modern equipment for Lerici minesweepers is expected.

Corvettes

Minerva-class corvettes were built in the 90s, they are distinguished by good speed and armament: Sea Sparrow or Selenia Aspide missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes. Of the 8 ships in service, 2 remained.