Italian Navy
| Italian Navy | |
|---|---|
| Marina Militare | |
 |
|
| Active | 1946–present (1861 as Regia Marina) |
| Country | Italy |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 30,923 personnel 184 vessels (incl. minor auxiliaries) 70 aircraft |
| Motto(s) |
Italian: Patria e Onore "Country and Honour" |
| March | La Ritirata ("Ritirata" in Italian means the return of soldiers to their barrack, or in this case of sailors to their ship after a leave) by Tommaso Mario |
| Anniversaries | June 10 – Sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István by Luigi Rizzo |
| Decorations | 1 Cavalier Cross of the Military Order of Savoy 3 Cavalier's Crosses of the Military Order of Italy 2 Gold Medals of Military Valor 1 Silver Medal of Military Valor 1 Gold Medal for Merited Public Honor |
| Commanders | |
|
capo di stato maggiore della marina (Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy) |
ammiraglio di squadra Valter Girardelli |
|
sottocapo di stato maggiore della marina Deputy Chief of Naval Staff |
ammiraglio di squadra Claudio Gaudiosi |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Aviation roundels |
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|
| Naval Ensign |  |
| Jack |  |
The Italian Navy (Italian: Marina Militare, lit. "Military Navy"; abbreviated as MM) is the maritime defence force of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina (Royal Navy) after World War II. As of August 2014, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels.
The Regia Marina was formed on March 17, 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 June 2, 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 September 8, 1943, and the subsequent cooperation agreement on September 23, 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.
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Wikipedia