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Alpino class Frigates

The Alpino class were a pair of Anti-submarine frigates built for the Italian Navy during the Cold War. Originally named Circe, along with sister ship Carabiniere, Alpino constituted a class of only two units, since the other two planned: Perseo and Polluce were removed from the program. By the early 1990s ALPIN0 was performing duty as a Mine-Hunter Support and Command ship [mine hunter mothership], and CARABINLERE was performing duty as an experimental ship. Originally conceived as a follow-on to the Alpino-class and taking the place of the two cancelled units, the Lupo class emerged as rather different design.

The design was originally conceived as an enlarged version of the Canopo class frigates. The design was however changed radically with a CODOG machinery suite comprising gas turbines and diesels. These ships introduced the use of ship based helicopters and variable depth sonar into the Italian Navy. The ships underwent significant modernisation in the 1980s with the fitting of new sonar and electronic warfare equipment.

Initially four ships were planned to be ordered in 1959 to 1961. These ships were to be named Circe, Climene, Perseo and Polluce in honor of the Second World War-era Spica class torpedo boats of those names. These ships were postponed while the designs were updated and two ships were ordered in 1962. Both vessels were built by CNR in Riva Trigoso and named after types of soldiers and specifically after two Second World War-era Soldati class destroyers.

Italy's 1973 sale of four Alpino-class destroyer escorts to Peru broke the UK's virtual monopoly on the supply of newly built major surface warships. The desire of some of the Latin American countries to upgrade and modernize their inventories is best reflected in the types of equipment acquired. Purchases include some of the more sophisticated materiel currently available on the world market. This is especially evident in the acquisitions of major naval warships. Latin American countries view themselves as modern nation states and have actively sought arms reflectin!~ this status. This has been and will remain the prime motivating factors behind their acquisition of sophisticated weapons.