From 3rd to 8th March, the Alpine frigate of the Navy will stop in New York, at Pier 88 in Manhattan, after participating in the training campaign C2X (Composite Training Unit Exercise) with the U.S. Navy. In recent years the Italian Navy has intensified participation in NATO exercises and joint operations with the U.S. Navy, and often these trainings end with the mooring and opening of frigates to the public: it is a way to bring people closer to the concepts of international cooperation and diplomacy, which can be repellent as much as useful in the world chessboard.
The ship will be open to the public on 4 March and then on 6, 7 and 8 March, with scheduled visits from 10:30 to 13:30 and from 15:30 to 18:30. The New York stage is part of the cooperation between Italy and the United States in NATO and follows a cycle of operational certifications that have seen Alpino used in multinational contexts. Alpino (F594) is a European multi-mission frigate of the FREMM (European Multi Mission Frigate), developed jointly by Italy and France to renew their respective surface fleets. In Italy the class is known as “Bergamini” and consists of ten units, divided between General Purpose and Anti Submarine Warfare configuration (ASW). Alpino belongs to the latter version, specialized in the fight against submersible. Built in the yards of Riva Trigoso (Genova), it was launched on 13 December 2014 and entered service on 30 September 2016
The dimensions place it among the main units of the Navy: 144 meters long, almost 20 of width, a displacement of about 6,700 tons and a maximum speed of 27 knots. The propulsion is of a CODLAG hybrid type, with gas turbines and diesel-electric engines, a solution that allows both high performance and low speed silent navigation, an important element in anti-submarine operations. The automation of the onboard systems allows a crew of about 167-168 people, less than the previous generation units, with the possibility of landing up to two helicopters, a command staff or nuclei of the Brigata Marina San Marco
The combat system integrates multifunctional electronic scanning radar (MFRA), sonar suites with hull and depth sensors and an SAAM-ESD anti-aircraft missile system compatible with Aster missiles. These include 76/62 mm guns, MU90 torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. The ship is designed to reduce radar, infrared and acoustic marking, which is fundamental for the operations of escort to complex naval groups and for the control of maritime communication lines. The tasks include task force protection, maritime safety, piracy contrast and natural disaster support.
In recent years the Italian FREMMs have been used in NATO missions, surveillance operations in the Mediterranean and presence activities in the Persian Gulf and the Indo-Pacific. In the past the ship has obtained the certification of interoperability to operate as a spare unit in the USS carrier group George H. W. Bush, one of the main assets of the U.S. fleet.
The name Alpino recalls one of the historical specialties of the Italian Army. It is the fourth unit of the Navy to bring it: the former were a destroyer launched in 1909, another of the class “Soldato” entered service in 1938 and a frigate launched in 1967. The motto, “Here you don’t pass”, is the same as the Alpini regiment. The stopover in New York, in addition to the operational dimension, takes on a symbolic and diplomatic value, offering the American public and the Italian community in the United States the opportunity to visit one of the most advanced platforms of the Italian fleet.
L’articolo The Alpine frigate in New York: all the features of the ship you can visit comes from IlNewyorkese.
