During the launching ceremony - defined as the 'Big Launch' – the ship slid down into the water while Castellammare di Stabia Fincantieri shipyard workers were singing the Italian national anthem. LHD Trieste, will be delivered to the Italian Navy on completion of the necessary outfitting phase. The new multirole and multipurpose amphibious unit – which falls within the naval program of the Defence maritime capability, approved by the Italian Government and Parliament and started in May 2015 - is the largest ship of the Italian naval fleet since the end of the Second World War, measuring 214 metres long, destined to become its future flagship.
LHD Trieste has been launched today. Ship godmother was Mrs Laura Mattarella, daughter of the Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who attended the ceremony, welcomed by Fincantieri Chairman Giampiero Massolo and CEO Giuseppe Bono, the Defence Minister Elisabetta Trenta, the Chief of the Italian Defence, General Enzo Vecciarelli, and the Chief of the Italian Navy, Admiral Valter Girardelli. The ceremony was also attended by other authorities, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi Di Maio. The designated ship's commanding officer, commander Enrico Vignola, was also present.
During their speeches, Fincantieri CEO, Giuseppe Bono, referred to LHD Trieste as 'a challenge'. Minister Trenta defined the ship as 'an expression of the Italian excellence'. General Vecciarelli defined the unit as 'a concentration of collective defence'. 'A modern and invaluable multipurpose tool that will be effectively employed by Defence', added Admiral Girardelli, 'in line with the approach in which comprehensiveness and versatility are an added value for the optimal employment of national investments. LHD Trieste is not a destination but a starting point in the development of the plan for the renewal of the Navy's operational assets, now well underway, that certainly will find further impulse, support and sharing'.
The ceremony was deeply felt, also because in Castellammare – the oldest shipyard in modern terms – a new vessel has been built again for the Italian Navy. In the past, 88 years ago, the Amerigo Vespucci (the Queen of the Seas) was born here, followed by three corvettes of the Albatros Class, three Bergamini Class frigates, and, in the 1960's, cruisers Caio Duilio and Vittorio Veneto. The last ship built for the Italian Navy was destroyer Ardito.
ITS Trieste has been designed by the engineers of the Italian Navy General Staff to be a flexible, multi-purpose and modular unit with a low environmental impact. This Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) is capable of deploying aircraft and amphibious vehicles and equipment, relying on a flight deck and a floodable basin located on the stern of the ship.
The unit 'Trieste' will be classified by RINA Services pursuant to international conventions for the prevention of pollution regarding traditional aspects - like those addressed by the MARPOL Convention, as well as those not yet mandatory, like the ones covered by the Hong Kong Convention introducing the 'Green Passport' concept.
Ship's features
LHD - Landing Helicopter Dock
The unit will be approx. 214 metres long with a maximum speed of 25 knots. It will be equipped with a combined diesel or gas turbines CODLOG (COmbined Diesel eLectric Or Gas) propulsion system and an additional electric propulsion system to be used for low speed sailing, in line with the Italian Navy's environmental policy ('Green Fleet').
Thanks to her characteristics in terms of construction and weapon systems, LHD Trieste has been designed to project – in crisis areas – the landing force of the Italian Navy and sustain the Defence national projection capability from the sea. The unit will also be able to ensure the strategic transport of vehicles, personnel and equipment, and to support the Civil Protection in providing assistance to countries and populations in case of natural disasters, thanks to her capability to provide drinking water, power supply, healthcare and medical support.
This ship has also been conceived to carry out command and control functions in case of emergencies at sea, evacuation of nationals and humanitarian assistance operations.
With a bed space of over 1,000, the new LHD will feature a 230-metre long helicopter flight deck, allowing the operation of a battalion consisting of 600 personnel, and a dock-garage for 1,200 linear metres of wheeled and tracked vehicles, both civilian and military.
The floodable basin - 50 metres long and 15 metres wide – will enable the ship to deploy the most technically advanced amphibious equipment and vehicles of EU and NATO Navies.
The different areas of cargo securing are accessible through cranes, stern and side ramps, and cargo handling will be managed by internal ramps and elevators.
A fully equipped hospital will also be available onboard, complete with operating rooms, radiology and analysis, a dentist's office, and patient rooms capable of hosting 27 seriously injured patients (further admissions are possible through duly equipped container modules).
