Albatros-class corvette
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Albatros class |
| Operators: | |
| Succeeded by: | Pietro De Cristofaro class |
| In commission: | 1955–1991 |
| Completed: | 8 |
| Retired: | 8 |
| General characteristics (As rebuilt) | |
| Type: | Corvette |
| Displacement: |
Standard: 800 t Full load: 950 t |
| Length: | 76.3 m (250 ft 4 in) oa |
| Beam: | 9.7 m (31 ft 10 in) |
| Draught: | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shaft, 4 × Fiat M 409 diesels 3,900 kW (5,200 bhp) |
| Speed: | 35 kilometres per hour; 22 miles per hour (19 kn) |
| Range: | 9,300 kilometres; 5,800 miles (5,000 nmi) at 33 kilometres per hour; 21 miles per hour (18 kn) |
| Complement: | 110 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Armament: |
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Standard: 800 t
The Albatros class was a class of eight corvettes designed and built in Italy in the 1950s. Paid for by US funds, they were operated by Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands. The last ships of the class were retired from service in Italy in 1991.
In the early 1950s, the Italian shipyard Ansaldo designed a class of corvettes suitable for coastal escort duties. The design was selected for production in Italian shipyards for NATO navies using US funds under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, with three ships built for Italy, four for Denmark and one for the Netherlands.
The design had a flush-decked hull, with no raised forecastle, and was powered by two diesel engine giving 3,900 kW (5,200 bhp) which drove two shafts and propelled the ships a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).
As built, the ships were armed with two 76-millimetre (3 in) SMP 3 automatic cannon, with single turrets, one forward and one aft, and a single twin 40 mm Bofors mount. The SMP 3 was the first model of Italian automatic 76 mm guns, and could fire bursts of shells at 50 rounds per minute from a 14 round drum magazine, with 6-kilogram (13 lb) shells reaching a range of 16,000 m (17,000 yd). Anti-submarine armament consisted of two Hedgehog forward with depth charge projectors and racks aft.
The lead ship in the class, Albatros, was completed in 1955, with deliveries continuing until 1957, when the last ship, Bellona, delivered to Denmark in 1957.
The Netherlands found Lynx to be unsuitable, and it was transferred to Italy in 1961, where it was renamed Aquila. In service, the SMP 3 guns proved to be a failure, being too complex and unreliable, (Lynx suffered an explosion in one of its SMP 3 guns during its brief service with the Netherlands Navy) and adversely affecting the ships' seaworthiness. As a result, Italy re-armed its ships in 1963, replacing the 76 mm guns with single 40 mm Bofors guns. Danish ships used U.S. pattern 3-inch guns which were retained for the entire ships service lives.
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Wikipedia