Italian Navy / Marina Militare Italiana Luigi Rizzo class Frigate (aka Carlo Bergamini class)
Ships:
unit				in service	builder			status
F 596 ITS Luigi Rizzo				1961	Navalmeccanica Castellammare die Stabia, Italy			stricken 1980
F 593 ITS Carlo Bergamini				1962	Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico San Marco, Trieste, Italy			stricken 1981
F 594 ITS Virgino Fasan				1962	Navalmeccanica Castellammare die Stabia, Italy			stricken 1988
F 595 ITS Carlo Margottini				1962	Navalmeccanica Castellammare die Stabia, Italy			stricken 1988
	Specifications:
	Length:	94 meters
	Beam:	11,4 meters
	Draft:	3,1 meters
	Displacement:	1553 tons (full load)
	Speed:	26 knots (48 km/h) maximal
	Range:	5240 NM (9700 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
	Crew:	167
	Aviation:	helicopter deck and collapsible hangar for 1 AB-47 / AB-204 / later AB-212ASW helicopter
	Propulsion:	4 x diesel engines (17000 hp) 2 shafts / 2 propellers
	Armament:	3 x Oto-Melara 76mm/L62-caliber Allargato guns (later 2x) 1 x 305mm Menon ASW mortar 2 x Mk-32 12.75” (324mm) triple torpedo tubes
	Systems:	AN/SPS-12 radar AN/SPQ-2 radar RTN-10 fire control radar
	NOTES:	sometimes called the ‘Bergamini class’ in cause of the lowest pennant number
A new class of four corvettes officially designated Corvette Veloci Tipo 2 - (Type 2 Fast Corvette) for the Italian Navy was announced in 1956. They were larger than the existing Albatros-class corvettes of the Italian navy, and carried similar anti-submarine equipment to the frigates of the Centauro class. The armament of the class was subject to numerous changes during the design and construction process, which affected the layout of the ship. As finally built, the ships carried an anti-aircraft armament of three 76 mm rapid fire cannons, capable of firing 57 rounds per minute per gun, with two forward and one aft. A single autoloading depth-charge mortar was fitted forward of the bridge and was capable of firing 15 depth charges per minute to a range of about 1,000 m. This was supplemented by two Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes capable of launching American lightweight Mark 44 torpedos. A helicopter deck and folding hangar for a light helicopter was fitted behind the bridge, with the diesel exhaust uptakes and the ship's mast combined into a mack to make room for the hangar, while fin stabilisers were fitted to aid helicopter operations on such a small ship. Carlo Margottini and Luigi Rizzo were laid down at the Navalmeccanica shipyard, Castellammare in 1957. The next ship of the class, Carlo Bergamini was planned to be built by Cantieri Navale de Taranto, but the order was switched to the CRDA shipyards at Trieste, work starting in 1959. The final ship of the class, Virginio Fasan was laid down at Castellammare in 1960. Luigi Rizzo was the first to enter service in 1961, with all four ships in service by the end of 1962. In the late 1960s, the Marina Militare adopted the AB.204 as its standard shipboard helicopter. In order to accommodate the larger helicopter, a larger helicopter deck and hangar (which was still collapsible) was fitted, which in turn required removal of the aft 76 mm gun.
class images
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