Garibaldi - Light STOVL aircraft carrier
(1 ship)

Dimension: 180 m x 33,4 m x 6,7 m

Displacement: 13.850 tons full load

Propulsion: COGAG with 4 gas turbines Fiat/GE LM 2500 with a power of 82000hp (60,4MW), on 2 shafts; max velocity of 30 knots and a range of 7000 miles at 20 knots;

Crew: 582 + 230 air group + 45 flag

Air component: It can board up to 15 AV-8B+ Harrier or 17 SH3-D SeaKing or 18 EH-101 (12 on Hangar and 6 on fly-deck), but that no leaves space for the movement of aircraft, in practice is to be carried an mixed air group; Fly-deck of 173,8 m x 30,4; hangar of 108 m x 15 m x 6 m and is divided into 3 sections from 2 walls flame trap; 2 elevators of 18 m x 10 m for up to 18 tons.

Armaments: 2 Albatros octuple launchers for 48 Aspide missiles, 8 + 16 foward and 8 + 16 aft the island, for point air defense with a range of 14 km; 3 Oto-Breda 40mm/70 twin guns with a rate of fire of 300 strokes / minute for a range of 4 km for air targets and 12 km for surface targets; 2 triple launchers ILAS 3 of WASS for torpedoes A290 of 324mm, 2 Breda Oto melara launchers for countermeasures SCLAR-D; anti-torpedo system Euroslat SLAT;

Radars/sensors: 3D long range radar for air search Hughes AN/SPS-52C operating on band E with a range of 400 km; radar for air search Selenia MM/SPS-768 (RAN-3L), which operates on band D and on a range of 200 km; air search and surface radar Selenia SPS/RAN-10S with a range of 150 km; radar for surface search SPS-702 CORA; radar for navigation SPN-749; radar SPN-728 for approach; radar for fire control RTN-30X for Albatross / Aspide system; radar for fire control RTN-10X; 3 shot systems Selex NA-21 for guns.

Systems: Selex Sistemi Integrati (formerly AMS) command and control system IPN 20, which collect data from sensors and communication systems. The communication system includes satellite communications, Link 11, Link 14, Link 16 and Wide Area Network (WAN).

Sonar: Raytheon DE-1160 LF

Countermeasures: system Elettronica Nettuno SLQ-732 for electronic jamming; anti-torpedo system SLQ-25 Nixie tube (towed torpedo decoy)

Program/hystory: The program for the construction was signed on November 21, 1977 and the design was completed in February 1980. The ship was laid down on February 20, 1978 and was launched on June 4, 1983. Sea trial began on December 3, 1984 and was handed over to the Navy on September 30, 1985. Because of existing legislation at the time, which allowed only Air Force the possession of military fixed-wing aircraft. Giuseppe Garibaldi hasn't harrier until the exchange of law in 1989. Despite this during international exercises allies Harrier operated by Garibaldi as reflected in the photos (see photo by U.S. DoD) of Dragon Hammer 2 exercise in 1990 which British Harrier are parked at stern of the ship. After the change of law was possible, in 1990, make the purchase order of AV-8B+. On 23 August 1991 on board the Garibaldi, moored on the Norfolk naval base of U.S. Navy, was delivery the first aircraft, 2 TAV-8B, to the newest GrupAer. At the end of 2003 Garibaldi have finished the work of modernization that have equipped the ship of C⁴I capacity, were installed the data system MCC, links 16 and SATCOM. Replacing the sonar, repositioning of SCLAR, remove of Teseo to enlarge the fly-deck to the aft of starboard side. The unit has participated in several international missions including: Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq in 1990-1; Somalia I-II in 1992-4 and Somalia III / United Shield in 1995, Kosovo in 1999; Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001-02; Lebanon in 2006. For the Enduring Freedom, Garibaldi with his group, composed of ship Zeffiro, Aviere and Etna, leaving from Taranto on November 18, 2001, he worked for 3 months in the Indian Ocean, and returned March 18, 2002. The AV-8B have carried out 288 missions for 860 hours. In total, were deployed in the theatre of operations nearly 1.500 men with tasks "Sea Control" and "Maritime Interdiction / Interception"; were also carried out missions "Close Air Support" and "Air Interdiction" on the territory of Afghanistan.

Trivia: The next year will lose the status of flagship of Italian Navy

Builder: Italcantieri, Monfalcone

Number	Name	Year comm.	Homeport	Motto
551	Giuseppe Garibaldi	1985	Taranto	Obbedisco

Photo US Navy

Photo of the launch

Photo bi Aviator of Sep 13, 2008 of Garibaldi while entering on Mar Piccolo





Layout by MMI with the fly-deck		Cutway with hangar

Layouts of Garibaldi before and after the refit of 2003