Design
She is the fourth ship of the Italian Navy to be named after the 19th century Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi. All the five ships included the missile cruiser, together with an image of Garibaldi, are depicted in the crest.
Built by Fincantieri (Italcantieri) at the Monfalcone shipyards on the Gulf of Trieste, she was laid down on 26 March 1981, launched on 11 June 1983, and commissioned on 30 September 1985. Garibaldi is classed as a CVS–ASW or Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft Carrier and is based in Taranto.
The ship is powered by four Fiat COGAG gas turbines built under license from GE, offering a sustained power of 81,000 hp (60 MW). Driving two shafts the ship has a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and can travel for 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at around 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).
The ship was equipped with four Otomat Mk2 long range surface to surface missile system installed at the stern of the ship (removed in 2003 to improve the flight deck and satellite communications) and two ILAS three triple tube torpedo launchers. Defences are provided by two eight-cell SAM launchers firing the SARH Aspide missile, additional defences are offered by three Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO CIWS.
The ship also has many countermeasures include two SCLAR twenty-barrel launchers for chaff, decoy, flares, or jammers, the SLQ-25 Nixie and SLAT anti-torpedo systems and ECM systems.
Her air-arm consists of either a maximum sixteen AV-8B Harrier IIs, or eighteen Agusta helicopters or a mix of helicopters and fighters. The flight-deck is the characteristic off-axis design with 4 degrees ski-jump for STOL aircraft, it is 174 m long and 30.4 m wide.
A 1937 law gave control of all national fixed wing air assets to the Italian air force and only helicopters were permitted to the navy, therefore at the time of her launch she did not receive her Harriers, and she was classed as Incrociatore portaeromobili (Italian for Aircraft carrying cruiser). Until 1988 only Italian helicopters landed on her deck, as well as RN Sea Harriers during NATO joint maneuvers. This ban on Italian naval fixed wing aircraft was lifted in 1989 and the Italian Navy received fixed-wing Harrier II fighters to fly from the Garibaldi.
In 2009 Garibaldi has been joined as the flagship of the Italian navy by the new and larger carrier Cavour.
Read more about this topic: Italian Aircraft Carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (551)
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