Centauro-class frigate

Centauro-class frigate
Centauro-class frigate
	File:Italian frigate Castore (D573) underway c1959.jpg Castore
Class overview
Name:	Centauro
Builders:	Tosi Shipyard, Taranto; Orlando Shipyard, Livorno;
Operators:	Marina Militare
Preceded by:	Aldebaran class
Succeeded by:	Bergamini class
Built:	1952-1956
In commission:	1957-1985
Planned:	4
Completed:	4
Retired:	4
General characteristics
Type:	Frigate
Displacement:	2,137 t (2,103 long tons);
Length:	103.1 m (338 ft 3 in) pp; 94.0 m (308 ft 5 in) overall;
Beam:	12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draft:	3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	2 × diesels 22,000 bhp (16,000 kW); 2 × shafts;
Speed:	26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range:	3,020 nautical miles (5,590 km; 3,480 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing ; craft carried:	2 × lifeboats
Complement:	235
Sensors and ; processing systems:	AN/SPS-6 radar; ACTR-22 air-search radar; AN/SQS-11A sonar; MLT fire control radar;
Armament:	Early: 2 × twin Oto Melara 76/62mm; 1 × Menon ASW mortar; 2 × triple Mark 44 torpedo tubes; 2 × 105mm illuminating mortar; ; Later: 3 × single 76mm/L62 Allargato; 2 × 105mm illuminating mortar; 1 × Menon ASW mortar; 2 × 324mm torpedo tubes; ;

The Centauro class was a class of four frigates operated by the Italian Navy. They entered service in 1957, with the last one being stricken in 1985.^[1]

Characteristics[]

The hull had a continuous deck, with a wide pony, a cutter bow and a narrow stern, with an inclined mirror, sharp and slightly rounded. The compartmentation of the hull was with watertight bulkheads that divided the various rooms between them. the hull had rounded edges and was completely devoid of portholes, which made the bulwarks more resistant, also avoiding the entry into the interior of any radioactive fogs due to nuclear explosions. At the end of the bow there was an electric winch for the maneuvering of the two anchors.

The superstructures consisted of a central castle moved towards the bow that continued towards the stern in a long and wide deckhouse which was surmounted by a two-storey construction with two funnels arranged symmetrically with respect to the bow and stern. Aft of the first funnel there was a large tripod mast that supported the radar antennas, while in the structure aft of the second funnel there was another smaller mast that would later be removed.

The main command rooms for steering the ship both in navigation and in combat were located in the main superstructure. At the front the command bridge with the bridge, inside which, in the center, was the main wheelhouse, behind which on the upper floor were the COC (Combat Operations Center) and the radar station. On the lower floor, under the command bridge, there was the AS-SIOC (the Antisom Central Information Service Operations Combat) and further aft the R.T. main. The main firing range was located amidships below deck, while a secondary firing station was located in the small deckhouse aft of the second funnel.

Armament[]

The main armament consisted of four 76/62 mm Oto Melara cannons in two twin towers with superimposed barrels, derived from the single SMP3 type embarked on the Albatros, whose firing frequency was 60 rounds per minute, which, however, did not give the hoped-for results would not have been embarked on any other unit. Compared to the single model embarked on the Albatros corvettes, the Centauro towers were fully automatic and continuous loading, thus allowing a higher rate of fire.^[2]^[3]

The anti-aircraft armament consisted of four 40/70 mm Bofors machine gunners in two twin systems placed to the right and left of the central deckhouse aft of the second funnel; the Centauro were the last units to mount these guns. The anti-aircraft armament was completed by two 105mm triple illuminating mortars mounted on the central formwork, one on each side forward of the bridge.^[3]

The anti-submarine armament upon entry into service consisted of a 305mm long Menon-type mortar, derived from the similar English Limbo model, placed forward on the formwork aft of the main tower and four short Menon launchers, arranged two on each side on deck amidships.^[3]

Ships in the class[]

Pennant	Name	Builders	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned
D 570 / F 551	Canopo	Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto	15 May 1952	20 February 1955	4 May 1958	30 September 1982
D 571 / F 554	Centauro	Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando, Livorno	17 May 1952	4 April 1954	4 April 1957	31 May 1985
D 572 / F 555 / DE 1020	Cigno	Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto	11 February 1954	14 March 1955	7 March 1957	31 October 1983
D 573 / D 553 / DE 1031	Castore	Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto	14 March 1955	8 July 1956	14 July 1957	1 January 1983

Citations[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Centauro-class frigate and the edit history here.

[1] "Centauro class Frigate" (in en). https://www.helis.com/database/sys/453-Centauro-class.

[2] "AMC Associazione Modellisti Chiaravallesi - Fregata Castore F553". http://www.amc-chiaravalle.org/lavori/castore-22062007.html.

[:0-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 "Centauro class frigate Canopo Castore Cigno Italian Navy". https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Italian-Navy/Frigate/Centauro-class.htm.

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