Godmother
to the ship was Ms. Stefania Portaccio, granddaughter of Captain Carlo
Margottini. The frigate was named in honour of Captain Carlo Margottini,
who was decorated for military valour after the sinking of Nave Artigliere
in 1940.
Present at the ceremony were, among others, Roberta Pinotti, Italian
Under Secretary of Defence, Claudio Burlando, Governor of Liguria, Admiral
Luigi Binelli Mantelli, Chief of the Italian Defence General Staff,
Admiral Giuseppe De Giorgi, Chief of the Italian Navy, and Giuseppe
Bono, CEO of Fincantieri.
The vessel, which is due for delivery in early 2014 in Muggiano (La
Spezia), will feature a high degree of flexibility, capable of operating
in all tactical situations. 144 metres long with a beam of 19.7 metres,
the ship will have a displacement at full load of approximately 6,700
tonnes. The “Carlo Margottini” will have a maximum speed
of over 27 knots and will provide accommodation for a crew of 200.
The ships in the FREMM program constitute state of the art vessels of
European and Italian defence in the Mediterranean and will replace the
“Lupo” and “Maestrale” class frigates built
by Fincantieri in the 1970s.
Participating in the initiative as prime contractor for Italy is Orizzonte
Sistemi Navali (51% Fincantieri, 49% Finmeccanica) and, as prime contractor
for France, Armaris (DCNS + Thales).
The cooperation has drawn of the highly positive experience of the previous
Italo-French program “Orizzonte” under which two frigates
were built for the Italian Navy, the ”Andrea Doria” and
the “Caio Duilio”. |
