Two frontline surface combatants for the modern Italian Navy today (2018) are Andrea Doria (D553) and Caio Duilio (D554). These are formed from the French-Italian joint-venture which produced the "Horizon-class". The Horizon-class was to originally have eight warships under its name but budget constraints eventually led to just four being completed - two for the Italian Navy and two for the French Navy (FS Forbin, FS Chevalier Paul - both detailed elsewhere on this site). All four are in active service as of this writing (2018).
Andrea Doria leads the Italian half of the Horizon-class which is recognized locally as the "Orizonte-class" (and also the Andrea Doria-class). The primary classification of the warship is destroyer though its qualities can also make the vessel a frigate in some sources. Nevertheless, at its core, it is a multirole ship intended to cover a variety of requirements for the Italian Navy including airspace denial, anti-ship sorties, fleet defense and land-attack.
The warship was ordered on October 27th, 2000 and built by Fincantieri shipbuilders of Riva Trigoso. Her keel was laid down on July 19th, 2002 and she was launched on October 14th, 2005. The vessel was formally commissioned on December 22nd, 2007.
The ship's complement is 230 made up of officers, non-coms, enlisted and security staff (it can house up to 255 personnel). It can stay on station for up to forty-five days before requiring resupply. Onboard is a mix of advanced digital processing systems that allow the vessel to search, track and engage targets at range. This includes the SeleX RAN 30X/I surface-search radar, the Selex SPY-790 multi-function 3D phased array radar, the Thales-Selex S1850M long-range 3D radar and the RTN-30X electro-optical sensor. The Netuno 4100 serves as the Electronic Warfare (EW) fit and an anti-torpedo system is standard. Hull-mounted sonar allows the ship to track undersea threats as well.
Armament includes 3 x 76mm /62 caliber OTO-Melara Super-Rapid turreted deck guns (updated in 2018) as well as 2 x 25mm /80 caliber OTO-Melara (Oerlikon) Anti-Aircraft (AA) autocannons. 2 x SITEP LRAD MASS CS-424 mounts serve as acoustic weapons (added 2018). Key to Adrea Doria's function, however, is her missile stable. This is led by a single 48-cell DCNS SYLVER Vertical Launch System (VLS) which can fire Aster 15 or Aster 30 series surface-to-air missiles. There are also 8 x TESEO Mk.2/A surface-to-surface / anti-ship missiles available.
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Horizon-class / Andrea Doria-class / Orizzonte-class Hull Class
2 Number-in-Class
Andrea Doria (D553); Caio Duilio (D554) Ships-in-Class
Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.
501.5 feet (152.86 meters) Length
66.5 feet (20.27 meters) Beam
25.0 feet (7.62 meters) Draught
7,050 tons Displacement
2 x General Electric / Avio LM2500 gas turbines with 2 x SEMT Pielstick 12 PA6 STC diesel engines and 4 x Isotta Frashini VL1716T2ME diesel generators driving power to 2 x Shafts under stern; 1 x Bow thruster. Propulsion
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