Launched
on 4 July 2015, the submarine has now entered the final outfitting phase,
and has been conducting a series of intensive and demanding sea trials,
with a view to its delivery and concomitant entry into service, scheduled
for autumn this year.
The Romeo Romei - second submarine named after Commander Romeo Romei,
submarine Commanding Officer posthumously awarded a Golden Medal for
military valour - is the fourth Type U212A submarine, part of a joint
programme with Germany. It is outfitted with state-of- the-art technology
and sensors enabling long-range 3D detection (above, on and beneath
the surface of the sea), leveraging high concealment and featuring cutting
edge telecommunication systems which provide effective underwater surveillance,
for the defence of national interests.
The first sea trial, traditionally called “bagnarola” (basin
test dive), is a very important step for all those who strongly committed
themselves to transform the Romei from a mere combination of steel equipment
and components welded together into a submarine characterized by complex
engineering and technology and manned with a composite crew including
national engineers and technicians and military supervisors (who will
be among future crew members).
For the military staff of the Centro Allestimento Nuove Costruzioni
Navali, the satisfaction and pride for the successful completion of
this key preliminary test represent a powerful stimulus for the future.
In the next few months, many other trials will be conducted in order
to ensure high-accuracy and rigorous testing of all systems and equipment,
as well as to evaluate the submarine performance.
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