Riva Trigoso (Genoa) shipyard celebrated the launch of the frigate Alpino, the fifth of a series of 10 FREMM vessels - Multi Mission European Frigates, ordered from Fincantieri by the Italian Navy within the framework of an Italo-French program of cooperation.
Godmother to the ship was Maria Rosa Solimano, cousin of Francesco Solimano awarded with the Gold Medal of Military Valor.
Present at the ceremony were, among others, Claudio Burlando, Governor of Liguria, Senator Nicola Latorre, Chairman of the 4^ Senate's Defense Committee, Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli, Italian Chief of Defense, Lieutenant General Claudio Graziano, Italian Army Chief of Staff, Admiral Giuseppe De Giorgi, Italian Navy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Enzo Stefanini, Secretary General of Defense and National Armaments Director, Giovanni Gorno Tempini, CEO of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Vincenzo Petrone and Giuseppe Bono, respectively Chairman and CEO of Fincantieri.
According to the builder, the vessel, which is due for delivery in early 2016 in Muggiano (La Spezia), will feature a high degree of flexibility, capable of operating in all tactical situations. The ship, 144 meters long with a beam of 19.7 meters, will have a displacement at full load of approximately 6,700 metric tons. The “Alpino” will have a maximum speed of over 27 knots and will provide accommodation for a crew of 200.
The ships in the FREMM program represent the state of the art of European and Italian defense 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 off the 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.
