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Marina Militare

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Marina Militare (Italian Navy) is one of the four branches of the military forces of Italy. It was born in 1946, as the Navy of the Italian Republic, from the ashes of the Regia Marina. Marina Militare celebrates on 10 June, on the anniversary (1918) of the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István.

Contents

Structure

Marina Militare is divided into six corps:

Ensign

The ensign of the Marina Militare is the Italian tricolour with Marina Militare emblem on the white third. The emblem is composed by a shield, whose four parts are reference to Medieval Italian Thalassocracies (Italian: Repubbliche Marinare):

The shield has a golden crown, that distinguish military vessels from merchant: the crown, "Corona rostrata", was proposed in 1939 by Admiral Cavagnari to the Government, as an acknowledge of the Italian Navy's origin since the Roman times. In the proposal, Adm. Cavagnari wrote that "in order to recall the common origin [of the Navy] from the Roman sailorship, the Insigna will be surmounted by the towered Crown with rostrums, the emblem of honour and valour the Roman Senate awarded to the leaders of naval victories, conquerers of lands and cities across the seas". Another difference with the merchant vessels flag is that the lion symbolizing the Republic of Venice has the book in its paw closed (the Mattew's Gospel, that on the Republic Insigna is open on the words "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus", Peace to you Mattew, my Evangelist) and it is wielding a sword.

History

The Marina Militare Italiana was born as Regia Marina on 17 March 1861, after the proclamation of the Italian Kingdom

See: Regia Marina

After World War II

At the end of World War II, Italy looked as a devastated Nation after a 5 years war, but the armistice of 8 September 1943 and the cooperation agreement of 23 September 1943 permitted to the Regia Marina, which at the beginning of the war was the fourth largest navy in the world and had a mix of modernised and new battleships, to start a long and complex rebuilding process. Despite of the important contribution of the Italian naval forces during the cooperation with the Allies, the Marina was in dramatic conditions, with much of its infrastructures and installations unusuable and with the ports mined or blocked by sink wrecks. However its available naval units were in a sufficient number, even if in an efficiency state which felt the effects of the conflict and of old age of service; they remained:

The peace Treaty

The peace Treaty signed on 10 February 1947 in Paris was still onerous for the Marina. Apart from territorial transfers and material, they were also imposed military restrictions:

The treaty besides pawn Italy to put at winner nations United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Greece and Jugoslavia and Albania disposals the following ships as war compensation:

Eventually the total military displacement, warships excluded, coul not go past 67500 tons, while the regular staff could not be superior than 25000 men.

The adhesion to the The great changes in the international politic situation convinced, still, Great Britain and United States to give up to the handing in of the greater units, which were dismantled in La Spezia between 1948 and 1955, including the flagship aircraft carrier "Aquila". Soviet union, instead, claimed the handing in of the warship "Giulio Cesare" and much of units to her attributed. The cruisers "Attilio Regolo" and "Scipione Africano" became the French "Chateaurenault" and "Guichen", while the "Eugenio di Savoia" became the Greek "Helli". So just a little part of the fleet not transferred and not demolished could be reinserted in the Marina.

The growing attention turned from the Soviets to the Mediterranean Sea, and the consequential American attempts to contrast these expansionistic targets, transformed Italian seas in the main confront place between the two great international powers, contributing to the re-statement of Italy’s importance and of its ports thanks to her natural strategic geographical position.

With the new elections in 1948, the Kingdom of Italy became the Italian Republic, and the Regia Marina (‘’”Royal Navy”’’) toke on the name of Marina Militare Italiana. In full Marshall Plan and in a context where Europe was going to be divided in two set against blocks, Italy began to entertain talks with United States aimed to obtain adequate safety guarantee. Washington government, greatly interested to keep own installations on the peninsula, loosened peace Treaty bonds by insert Italian nation into the Mutual Defense Assistance Programme (MDAP).

On 4 April 1949, Italy subscribed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), corroborating her impossibility to contributing actively in the organization: that lead to the definitive repeal of the peace Treaty bonds by the end of 1951, with the consent of all of Western nations.

The potentiation of the fleet

With the adhesion to the NATO, to the Marina Militare was assigned the control about the Adriatic Sea and Strait of Otranto, let alone the defence of the communication maritime lines in the Tyrrhenian Sea. To release these tasks was carried out a "Studio sul potenziamento della Marina italiana in relazione al Patto Atlantico" (Study about the potentiation of the Italian navy with reference to the Atlantic Pact), whith which were located the structures and the methods for the potentiation of the Marina Militare.

This solution required a great economic effort aimed to the rebuilding and transformation of the fleet outlived to the conflict; it was also settled the supply of the United States of the remaining units to reach the necessary forces complex. However the program carried on slowly both for the economic problems of Italy determined by the post-war period rebuilding process and by the obstacles placed by some of European governments hesitating in front of the perpective to see rise a Navy capable to contrast the other Western naval forces.

Nowadays Marina Militare

Today's Marina Militare is a modern navy with ships of every type, such as aircraft carriers, modern frigates, submarines, amphibious ships and plenty of other smaller ships, including oceanographic research ships. The fleet is besides in continuous evolution; the Marina Militare is now providing herself of a new bigger aircraft carrier (the Cavour), new destroyers, submarines and multipurpose frigates. In modern times, the Marina Militare, being a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations.

Ships

Currently Active

Audace class
De la Penne class

''
  • San Giorgio (L 9892)
  • San Marco (L 9893)
  • San Giusto (L 9894)

''
  • Maestrale (F 570)
  • Grecale (F 571)
  • Libeccio (F 572)
  • Scirocco (F 573)
  • Aliseo (F 574)
  • Euro (F 575)
  • Espero (F 576)
  • Zeffiro (F 577)

Soldati class
Minerva class - 1st series
Minerva class - 2nd series
Cassiopea class
Comandanti class (NUMC)
Cassiopea 2 class (NUPA)
Esploratore class

Mine Warfare Vessels

Lerici class - 1st series
Lerici class – 2nd series
Ponza class

Submarines

Auxiliaries

Squadron Replenishment Ships
Gasoline Tankers
Water Transports
Vehicle Transport Ships
Weapons Test Ships
Others

Training ships

Corsaro class

Decommissioned Ships

Under Construction

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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