Albatros-class corvette

The Albatros class was a class of eight corvettes designed and built in Italy in the 1950s. Paid for by US funds, they were operated by Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands. The last ships of the class were retired from service in Italy in 1991.

Class overview
Name:	Albatros class
Operators:	Italian Navy  Royal Danish Navy  Royal Netherlands Navy
Succeeded by:	Pietro De Cristofaro class
In commission:	1955–1991
Completed:	8
Retired:	8
General characteristics (As rebuilt)[1]
Type:	Corvette
Displacement:	Standard: 800 t Full load: 950 t
Length:	69.5 m (228 ft 0 in) pp 76.3 m (250 ft 4 in) oa
Beam:	9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
Draught:	2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft, 4 × Fiat M 409 diesels 3,900 kW (5,200 bhp)
Speed:	35 kilometres per hour; 22 miles per hour (19 kn)
Range:	9,300 kilometres; 5,800 miles (5,000 nmi) at 33 kilometres per hour; 21 miles per hour (18 kn)
Complement:	110
Sensors and processing systems:	MLN-1A air/surface search radar QCU-2 High-frequency sonar[2]
Armament:	[2] 4 × 40 mm L/70 Bofors 2 × Mark 32 triple 324 mm (13 in) torpedo tubes 2 × Hedgehogs 1 × depth charge rack

Design

In the early 1950s, the Italian shipyard Ansaldo designed a class of corvettes suitable for coastal escort duties. The design was selected for production in Italian shipyards for NATO navies using US funds under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, with three ships built for Italy, four for Denmark and one for the Netherlands.[3][4]

The design had a flush-decked hull, with no raised forecastle, and was powered by two diesel engine giving 3,900 kW (5,200 bhp) which drove two shafts and propelled the ships a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).[1]

As built, the ships were armed with two 76-millimetre (3 in) SMP 3 automatic cannon, with single turrets, one forward and one aft,[1] and a single twin 40 mm Bofors mount.[5] The SMP 3 was the first model of Italian automatic 76 mm guns, and could fire bursts of shells at 50 rounds per minute from a 14 round drum magazine,[1] with 6-kilogram (13 lb) shells reaching a range of 16,000 m (17,000 yd).[6] Anti-submarine armament consisted of two Hedgehog forward with depth charge projectors and racks aft.[1][5]

History

The lead ship in the class, Albatros, was completed in 1955,[1] with deliveries continuing until 1957, when the last ship, Bellona, delivered to Denmark in 1957.[7]

The Netherlands found Lynx to be unsuitable,[2] and it was transferred to Italy in 1961, where it was renamed Aquila.[8] In service, the SMP 3 guns proved to be a failure, being too complex and unreliable,[1] (Lynx suffered an explosion in one of its SMP 3 guns during its brief service with the Netherlands Navy[6]) and adversely affecting the ships' seaworthiness.[2] As a result, Italy re-armed its ships in 1963, replacing the 76 mm guns with single 40 mm Bofors guns.[1] Danish ships used U.S. pattern 3-inch guns which were retained for the entire ships service lives.

The Danish ship Diana was discarded in 1974, with Flora being stricken in 1978. The final two Danish ships, Bellona and Triton were discarded in 1981 as they were replaced by the Niels Juel-class corvettes.[2][7] In 1961, Flora took part in the filming of the giant-monster movie Reptilicus, which became a legend of cheesy cinema and would eventually become an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 2017.

The Italian ships' anti-submarine armament was improved by replacing the depth charge launchers with two triple torpedo tubes for 324 mm (13 in) anti-submarine torpedoes.[1] Albatros and Alcione were equipped for minesweeping, being fitted with paravanes and equipment davits at the expense of the torpedo tubes, although they retained their designation as corvettes[2][9]

It had been intended to discard the Italian ships in 1982–83, but they were kept in service to meet a continuing need for coastal patrol vessels.[2] Albatros was the first Italian ship to be discarded, being decommissioned in 1985,[1] but used as an accommodation hulk until stricken in April 1989.[10] The remaining three ships were discarded in 1991.[1]

Ships in class

Name	Number	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Italy
Albatros	F 543	Navalmeccanica, Castellammare di Stabia[4]	18 July 1954[4]	1 June 1955[4]	Hulked 30 April 1985 Stricken 30 April 1989[1]
Alcione	F 544		19 September 1954[4]	23 October 1955[4]	Stricken 1991[1]
Airone	F 545		21 November 1954[4]	29 December 1955[4]	Stricken 1991[1]
Aquila	F 542	Breda Marghera Yard, Venice[4]	Ex-Netherlands Lynx Transferred to Italy 18 October 1961[4]		Stricken 1991[1]
Denmark
Bellona	F 344	Navalmeccanica, Castellammare di Stabia[11]	9 January 1955[11]	31 January 1957[11]	Stricken 1981[7]
Diana	F 345	Cantiere del Tirreno, Riva, Trigoso[11]	19 December 1954[11]	30 July 1955[11]	Stricken 1974[7]
Flora	F 346		25 June 1955[11]	28 August 1956[11]	Stricken 1978[7]
Triton	F 347	Cantiere Navali di Taranto[11]	12 September 1954[11]	10 August 1955[11]	Stricken 1981[7]
Netherlands
Lynx	F 923	Breda Marghera Yard, Venice[12]	31 July 1954[12]	2 October 1956[12]	Transferred to Italy 18 October 1961[4]
Indonesia
Pattimura	257, later 371	Ansaldo, Livorno, Italy [13]	1 July 1956[13]	28 January 1958[13]	Stricken 1985[13]
Sultan Hasanudin	253, later 372		24 March 1957[13]	8 March 1958[13]	Stricken 1979[13]

Citations

1. Gardiner and Chumbley 1998, p. 215.
2. Grove 1990, p. 95.
3. Gardiner and Chumbley 1998, p. 196.
4. Blackman 1971, p. 189.
5. Blackman 1960, p. 202.
6. Peluso, Giuseppe. "SMP.3 - L’ultimo cannone di Pozzuoli". Pozzuli Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
7. Gardiner and Chumbley 1998, p. 77.
8. Gardiner and Chumbley 1998, p. 275.
9. Couhat and Baker 1986, p. 272.
10. Prézelin and Baker 1990, p. 279.
11. Blackman 1971, p. 81.
12. Blackman 1960, p. 229.
13. "PATTIMURA corvettes (1958)". navypedia.org.

References

• Blackman, Raymond V. B. Jane's Fighting Ships 1960–61. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1962.
• Blackman, Raymond V. B. Jane's Fighting Ships 1971–72. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1971. ISBN 0-354-00096-9.
• Couhat, Jean Labayle and A.D. Baker III. Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1986. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.
• Gardiner, Robert and Stephen Chumbley. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Grove, Eric J. NATO Major Warships - Europe. London: Tri-Service Press, 1990. ISBN 1-85400-006-3.
• Prézelin, Bernard and A.D. Baker III. Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1990. ISBN 0-87021-250-8.