Minehunter Milazzo, third of the four Lerici 1st series units, was launched on January 4, 1985, and delivered to the Italian Navy on June 27, 1987.

She is a Coastal Mine Hunter, specifically designed to find, neutralize and destroy naval mines; is equipped with a deep sea sonar system that can be towed to a depth of 50 meters, and two Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV), to survey and analyze objects sitting on the ocean floor to a depth of 600 meters. Is regularly used to control maritime boarders and for Search and Rescue activities.

Despite these specific features, the unit has been designed to perform "dual use" activities, usually in cooperation with public agencies, such as the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, the Italian Judiciary and other bodies, to survey the sea depths for ship or aircraft wrecks, historical finds, or to monitor marine environment. Thanks to a multi-place hyperbaric chamber and medical staff specialized in underwater physiopathology, the unit can be deployed on deep diving operations.

The name of the unit comes from the city of Milazzo in Sicily, founded by the Greeks back in 716 B.C. when the first colonization of the island, and later conquered by the Romans in 260 B.C.

The Crest of the unit has an outer rectangular shape, adorned by a small, neat rope. The figure inside is divided by a diagonal band from top left to bottom right reading the name of the unit: "MHC MILAZZO." Top right is the city of Milazzo's coat of arms depicting the eagle of the Roman Empire. Lower left is the ship's bow with the optical badge in the foreground. The logo is surmounted by the towered crown with rostra (as in the coat of arms) that reminds of the origin of the Roman seamanship, to bear witness of the honour and valour conferred to the dukes of naval deeds, conquerors of lands and cities overseas.