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Giuseppe Garibaldi

The Garibaldi was once the world's smallest aircraft carrier. Although is the light aircraft carrier, but its embarkation airplane ability and instead dives, the counter- ship, the anti-aircraft operational capacity is all stronger.

The design was conceived in order to satisfy the requirement of having a unit endowed with the necessary capacity of command and control with adequate characteristics for the optimal use of the aircraft and antiship and antiaircraft missile weapon systems. The ship can embark antisubmarine medium helicopters of advanced characteristics, along with medium helicopters for electronic warfare. The ship has necessary the technical facilities for the employment of HARRIER II AV-8B PLUS aircrafts to provide antiaircraft and antiship capabilities at distances greater than the capacity of the current shipboard missiles.

Garibaldi is an Italian aircraft carrier commissioned in 1985. The ship is a 10,000 ton standard displacement aircraft carrying cruiser capable of carrying 18 helicopters or an air squadron of vertical or short take off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft. The ship's crew is 550 officers and ratings plus 230 air staff. The carrier can carry out anti-submarine warfare, command and control of naval and aero-naval forces, area surveillance, convoy escort, commando transportation, and fleet logistic support including the maintenance of helicopters based on other ships. The ship is also equipped to carry out humanitarian relief missions.

The ship's long range surface to surface missile system, the Alenia Oto Sistemi Missilistici (AOSM) Otomat, is installed on the gun decks at the stern of the ship, two launchers on the port and two on the starboard side. The ship's surface-to-air missile is the AESN Albatros which provides short range point defence against threats from aircraft and missiles, both sea skimming and diving. The Albatros octuple launchers are installed on the roof decks at the forward and stern end of the main island. The Albatros Mark 2 system uses the Aspide missile. The ship is armed with 48 Aspide missiles. The ship is armed with three OTOBreda 40/70 mm twin guns. One gun is installed on the gun deck at the stern of the ship and two are installed, one each on the port and starboard gun decks at a lower level than the flight deck. Two ILAS 3 triple tube torpedo launchers from are fitted to the ship, one on each side of the ship. The 324 mm tubes are capable of firing the Honeywell Mark-46 or the A290 torpedo.

The ship's flight deck is 174 metres in length and 30.5 metres in width, and the forward 15 metres of the flight deck rises to a gentle ski ramp of about 4 degrees. The ship has an extensive aircraft hangar with maintenance and support facilities. The ship can accommodate up to eighteen helicopters, for example the Agusta Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King or the Agusta Bell AB212. Alternatively the ship can accommodate 16 AV-8B Harrier II aircraft armed with the Maverick air to surface missile and the AMRAAM AIM-120 air to air missiles, or a mix of helicopter and Harriers. The ship's propulsion system provides a maximum speed of 30 knots and at an economical speed of 20 knots the range is over 7000 nautical miles.

Shipboard also is loaded with ?? the type landing deck. Full load displacement: 13850 tons. Captain: 180 meters. Ship wide: 33.4 meters, drinking water: 6.7 meters. Power device: Conventional power, 4 gas turbines, 2 axes ????: 60 megawatts (81000 horsepower), speed: 30, endurance: 7000 nautical miles /20 primary armament equipment: 1 oblique launching " ?? the motor " the counter- ship guided missile system, 2 8 associations attires " ?? " the air defense missile system, 3 double barrel 40 millimeter artillery, 2 3 associations attires 324 millimeters torpedo launching tubes embark the airplane: Vertical / short distance take off and landing airplane 9, helicopter 12. Personnel: ?? 685 people, aviation personnel 366.