ITS Andrea Doria is the fourth Unit to bear this name in the Italian Navy. The first was a dreadnought who served  from 1885 to 1911; the second a battleship launched in 1913 and modernized in 1937, and then a launcher cruiser launched in 1963 who was decommissioned in 1992 after sailing 577,000 miles. This last Unit measured 149 meters and could reach 31 knots.
The existing  DDG Destroyer  Andrea Doria (D553) belongs to the so called Orizzonte class of Navy Units, along with her twin unit, Destroyer DDG Caio Duilio (D 554), and two Units of the Marine National Française: FORBIN and CHAVALIER PAUL. On July 19, 2002, the keel laying ceremony took place at the Riva Trigoso (Genoa) shipyard; and on October 14, 2005, during a ceremony with the then Chief of Defence Staff of the Italian Navy Admiral Sergio Biraghi was performed the technical launch, the first carried out on a trolley for such a large vessel. The Unit was delivered to the Italian Navy on December 22, 2007.   
ITS Andrea Doria is a “multipurpose” unit, her equipment - substantial and differentiated at the same time, makes her fit against air, land or underwater threats, and qualifies to perform a wide range of missions.

In the center of the Crest there a relief depicts a broad-winged eagle, the historical ensign of the Doria family. The crown on the head of the eagle symbolizes the power of the Doria lineage, who were conferred  the title of princes when the ascent of the powerful family coincided with the sea and colonial domination of the Maritime Republic of Genoa.
The eagle towers over the unit’s stylized silhouette, finished with the D553 optical badge, with her bow on the edge of the crest, as to hint at a navigation towards distant horizons.
In the lower section is the burgee with the name of the Unit, while in the upper section, between two five-pointed stars, is the motto of the Unit: “Altius Tendam”. The crest is surmounted by the towered Crown with rostrums, the emblem of the Italian maritime tradition whose origins date back to the ancient mythical rostrated ships sailing through the Mediterranean.
The creation of her crest was inspired by this reminder of past traditions, together with the christening of the ship that  represents  the remarkable evolution   performed by the Italian Navy.
The crest, according to tradition,  is made of bronze  on a dark mahogany wooden base, thus willingly reechoing the crests of other ships of the Italian Navy that have borne the name Andrea Doria in the past.