Yesterday,
in the presence of Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti, the Fincantieri
shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia) hosted the launching ceremony for the
“Pietro Venuti” submarine, the third unit of the four U212A
“Todaro” class twin units ordered to Fincantieri by the
Central Unit for Naval Armament – NAVARM for the Italian Navy.
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Among
others, the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral Giuseppe De
Giorgi, attended the ceremony. He was welcomed to the shipyard on behalf
of Fincantieri by the President, Ambassador Vincenzo Petrone and the
Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Bono, and by Giovanni Gorno Tempini,
Chief Executive Officer of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
The “Venuti” is the 101st submarine built in Muggiano shipyard
since 1907, when the “Foca” submarine of the Italian Royal
Navy was launched. Since then, this shipyard stands out for naval vessels
building, not only for the Italian Navy but also worldwide (Brasil,
Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark).
The “Venuti” is part of the second pair of submarines to
be built in chronological order, and precedes by about one year the
“Romeo Romei”, currently under construction at the Muggiano
shipyard. In the Navy’s fleet these vessels, whose delivery is
due in 2015 and 2016, will replace the “Prini” and “Pelosi”
submarines (“Sauro” class – third series), built in
the late 1980s. The submarine construction programme is the continuation
of the project launched in 1994 in cooperation with the German Submarine
Consortium, which has already led to the construction in the past years
of six vessels for Germany and two for Italy – the “Todaro”
and the “Scirè”. These latter units, delivered by
Fincantieri in 2006 and 2007 respectively, are already operating successfully
as part of the Italian Navy’s fleet.
Like the other vessels in the series, the “Venuti” features
highly innovative technological solutions. It is built entirely of amagnetic
material, using the most modern silencing techniques to reduce its acoustic
signature. Additionally, it is equipped with a silent propulsion system
based on fuel cell technology, producing energy through an oxygen-hydrogen
reaction independently from external oxygen, ensuring a submerged range
three to four times higher than the conventional battery-based systems.
It also features a fully integrated electro-acoustic and weapon-control
system, as well as a modern platform automation system.
“Venuti” has a surface displacement of 1,509 tonnes, an
overall length of 55.9 meters, a maximum diameter of 7 meters, and can
exceed 16 knots underwater. It has a 27-person crew. |
