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Andrea Doria

This type of newly developed units suitable for anti-aircraft and anti-submarine escorts of naval formations, laid down at the Cantieri del Tirreno of Riva Trigoso the May 11, 1958, was the result of a controversial NATO and USA confidence towards the Italian institutions in a more difficult period of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet bloc. Although sufficient to ensure cooperation with N.A.T.O. multinational forces, units of this class were deficient because they had no automated systems of command and control. The unit, along with sister ship, were so modernised with the installation of the first automatic systems of combat operations (S.A.D.O.C.-1). A third ship was planned, but deferred in favor of the larger Vittorio Veneto.

Its operational activity was very intense and eventful. Launched on February 27, 1963, the godmother was Mrs. Teresa Cavagnari, widow of Admiral d'Armata Domenico Cavagnari. The flag of fighting received by Admiral Mario Bussola on behalf of previous staff Andrea Doria, the August 3, 1964, after the first missile launch, the unit took to the sea for a campaign training in the far East during the Tokyo Olympics with indentation on 5 December after a voyage of 22,294 miles under the command of Captain Joseph Gaba.

Later another 13,010 cruise miles in South America under the command of Captain Claudio Celli, then for the first time in Taranto on 19 January 1965 for team training. From that date the unit patrolled the length and breadth of the Mediterranean participating in national exercises and more complex as the Inter-Allied Down Patrol and Quick Draw and, in particular, the complex Iles d'Or, including that of 1973 that made her deserve the recognition of "ship of the year".

During the stop work from 1976 to 1978 the machinery was converted from diesel to naphtha, and there was standardization of the missile system. In 1979 the ship was again in the Far East with ships Vittorio Veneto and Stromboli for a humanitarian operation in favor of Vietnamese refugees.

Finally in 1980 the ship participated in search and rescue operations in the Tyrrhenian waters for the Itavia DC-9 that crashed near Ustica. On November 29, 1980 the ship was in Naples to rescue the victims from the Irpinia earthquake. Transferred to Headquarters from La Spezia in Taranto took charge of the command headquarters of the 2nd Marine Division participating in two operational missions in 1984, Lebanon in support of Italian ground contingent in the multinational force of peace, and Sunflower in 1986 on the occasion of the Italian-Libyan crisis.

On September 11, 1992 the staff of the 2nd Marine Division oversaw the decommisioning of the ship, and upon return began the process of disarmament with a total of 57,700 miles travelled in all the seas of the world. On 30 September, instead of berth No. 23 of the Torpedo Station in Taranto, took place the ceremony of the last Flag give up chaired by the then Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Department of the Ionian and the Strait of Otranto, Vice Admiral Alfeo boats, which was attended by most of the 30 officers who had served under the command of the ship during the long and demanding career.