Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (551)

Giuseppe Garibaldi in 2004
History
Italy
Name:	Giuseppe Garibaldi
Namesake:	Giuseppe Garibaldi
Builder:	Fincantieri Monfalcone (Gorizia)
Laid down:	26 March 1981
Launched:	11 June 1983
Commissioned:	30 September 1985
Homeport:	Taranto
Identification:	Pennant number: 551
Motto:	Obbedisco
Status:	in active service
Notes:	Cost: Lire 500 billions to 1991
General characteristics
Type:	ASW aircraft carrier
Displacement:	- 10.100 t (9.940 long tons) (standard) - 13.850 t (13.631 long tons) (full load) - 14.150 t (13.927 long tons) (full load, after 2003 MLU)
Length:	180.2 m (591 ft)
Beam:	33.4 m (110 ft)
Draught:	8.2 m (27 ft)
Propulsion:	- 4 × General Electric/Avio LM2500 gas turbines, 60.400 kW (80.998 hp) - 6 × diesel engine generators B230/12, 9.360 kW (12.552 hp) with electric generator Ansaldo-Elettrital, 1.560 kW (2.092 hp) eachone
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)+
Range:	7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:	- 830, of which: 550 Crew up to 180 for Fleet Air Arm up to 100 C4 staff
Sensors and processing systems:	- Selenia MM/SPS-768 (RAN 3L) long-range radar - Selenia SPS-774 (RAN-10S) early warning radar - Hughes AN/SPS-52C early warning, E band radar - Selenia SPS-702 CORA surface search radar - 2 x GEM Elettronica SPN-749 navigation radar - Selenia SPN-728 approach radar - 3 x Selenia RTN-30X fire control radar, for Albatross/Aspide - 3 x Selenia RTN-20X fire control radar, for CIWS 40/70 mm - Raytheon DE 1160 LF hull sonar (replaced by WASS DMS-2000 in 2003) - Selenia CMS SADOC-3 - TACAN Face Standard URN-25
Electronic warfare & decoys:	- Elettronica Spa SLQ-732 jamming system - 2 x OTO Melara SCLAR decoy launcher - AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy
Armament:	2 × Mk.29 octuple launcher for Sea Sparrow/Selenia Aspide SAM 3 × Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO 2 × 324 mm triple torpedo tubes 4 × Otomat Mk 2 SSMs (removed in 2003)
Aircraft carried:	up to 18 AV-8B Harrier II fighter/bombers Augusta SH-3D or AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters (ASW, ASH and AEW)
Notes:	flight deck is length 174.0 m (570.9 ft) and 30.0 m (98.4 ft) wide

Giuseppe Garibaldi 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 with short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL) aircraft and helicopters. Giuseppe Garibaldi was involved in combat air operations off Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya.

The Giuseppe Garibaldi is the fourth ship of the Italian Navy to be named after the 19th century Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi. All four 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 an anti-submarine warfare carrier (ASW), 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, and three Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO CIWS.

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