Minerva class
 The Urania
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The Minerva class was a Corvette class built in Italy . It consisted of eight ships built between 1985 and 1991 at Fincantieri in Genoa (Riva Trigoso) and La Spezia (Muggiano) in two series. They bore the names of ancient deities and mythological figures and thus succeeded the corvettes of the same name from the earlier Gabbiano class .
history
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As a replacement for eight older corvettes of the Albatros and De Cristofaro classes, the Italian Navy ordered a first series of four Minerva-class units in September 1982, and then four more in January 1987. A third, again consisting of four units series was planned but was abandoned eventually it because this four easy, originally for the Iraq certain frigates of Artigliere class were taken.
The Minerva-class corvettes, which displaced around 1200 tons, placed great value on relatively low procurement, maintenance and servicing costs. Thanks to the limited superstructure, there was a low radar signature and space on deck for the installation of additional on-board weapons or other devices. On the other hand, no helipad was provided. In addition to typical anti- submarine hunting skills and the usual 76 mm gun, the corvettes received an Albatros anti-aircraft system . The installation of rocket launchers for anti-ship missiles of the Otomat / Teseo type was planned, but never took place (fitted for, but not with) . Because of past experience with Libyan fighter jets, the Navy tended to focus on air defense. The corvettes were to be deployed from the Sicilian naval base Augusta mainly in the Strait of Sicily . One of the main tasks was the supervision of the exclusive economic zone and in particular the fisheries protection.
Shortly after the corvettes were put into service, migration control and sea rescue were added as additional tasks, first in the Adriatic because of the influx of refugees from Albania , and later in the central Mediterranean. In the Adriatic, the corvettes were also used because of the wars in the former Yugoslavia , later they sometimes operated within the framework of offshore associations, including in the Persian Gulf . The corvettes were also used for training purposes by the Scuola di comando navale located in Augusta , which is responsible for the training of prospective ship commanders. After the fleet was reorganized in 1999, the eight corvettes formed the corvette squadron in Augusta, which with two patrol squadrons was subordinated to the local command of the patrol forces (COMFORPAT) .
In 2013, two units were assigned to the reserve class and decommissioned in 2015. The remaining corvettes were taken out of service by September 2019. Four units were sold to the Bangladesh Coast Guard after a major overhaul at Fincantieri .
units
| Identifier | Surname | Shipyard | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | Decommissioning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st series | ||||||
| F551 | Minerva | Fincantieri , Riva Trigoso | March 11, 1985 | March 25, 1986 | June 10, 1987 | May 14, 2015 |
| F552 | Urania | March 11, 1985 | June 21, 1986 | June 10, 1987 | March 10, 2016 | |
| F553 | Danaide | Fincantieri, Muggiano | May 26, 1985 | October 10, 1986 | February 13, 1988 | March 10, 2016 |
| F554 | Sfinge | May 26, 1985 | May 16, 1987 | February 13, 1988 | 29 May 2017 | |
| 2nd series | ||||||
| F555 | Driad | Fincantieri, Riva Trigoso | March 5th 1987 | January 15, 1989 | 4th December 1990 | September 25, 2019 |
| F556 | Chimera | Fincantieri, Muggiano | March 5th 1987 | September 9, 1989 | 4th December 1990 | September 25, 2019 |
| F557 | Fenice | March 5th 1987 | April 7, 1990 | January 15, 1991 | 29 May 2017 | |
| F558 | Sibilla | Fincantieri, Riva Trigoso | March 5th 1987 | September 15, 1990 | May 16, 1991 | May 14, 2015 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bangladesh Coast Guard seeks to augment patrol capability. janes.com, April 22, 2015 ( Memento of April 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive )