The name of the Unit comes from the city of Numana, in the Region Marche, at the foot of Mount Conero, just a few kilometers  off Ancona. Originally an ancient Piceno village, in the VI-V century B.C. Numana was a very important commercial hub in ancient Greece. During those centuries hundreds of cargo ships sailed off its shores carrying Greek artifacts (bronzes and ceramics). In the III century B.C. the city was eventually conquered by the Romans. In 558 the city was hit by a mighty earthquake and, according to the legend, Piceno was inundated by the sea; successively the city suffered a dark period of raids and lootings. In 1300, after falling under the ruling of the Papal States,  the city suffered another terrible earthquake which condemned it to destruction and ruin. It was only in early 1900’s that Numana was rediscovered by the Roman aristocracy who elected it as their summer resort area. This marked the beginning of a period of prosperity which transformed the city into one of the most prestigious resort areas on the Adriatic  Riviera.

ITS Numana was delivered to the Italian Navy on June 11, 1994. She took part in the Decisive Enhancement Operation (an international operation against the civil war in the former Yugoslavia), and in a training campaign in Northern  Europe in 1996. In 1997 and 1998 she took part in  the Alba I and II Operations (concerning illegal migration).

It has been the first Italian Minehunter to take part in the Mine Countermeasures Force in the Mediterranean in 1999 (MCMFORMED);  it also took part in the Allied Harvest Operation  in the Adriatic Sea.  In 2000 she was engaged in the clearing of the Adriatic Sea from the mines dropped during the Kosovo War.  ITS Numana has also  participated in many mine clearing operations, national and international exercises, research operations for aircraft and shipwrecks lost at sea. Moreover, she has carried out many surveys and experiments. She covered over 75,000 miles, visited 6 Countries and   called at 37 ports. On May 5, 2004, ITS Numana was assigned to Mine Countermeasures Force of the South (MCMFORSOUTH).

ITS Numana’s Crest has an outer rectangular shape. The figure inside is divided diagonally by a strip separating on one side the Minehunter silently ploughing the sea, and on the other the coat of arms of the city of Numana, encircled by the inscription “Senatus Civitatis Numanae.” The Crest is surmounted by a Marquis  crown with a laurel and an oak branch, sided by two capital letters: a T and a C,  which stand for “Turrita Civitas,”  or “Tanta Civitas,” or maybe “Tuta Civitas” meaning “safe city” or  well protected city. The towered crown and the cartouche  finish the upper section.