Italian Landing Helicopter Dock Trieste

The LHD ''Trieste'' is a multi-purpose landing helicopter dock (LHD) of the Italian Navy. The ship replaced the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi and is the largest vessel in the Italian fleet. It was ordered as part of the 2014–2015 naval program and was built at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyards of Fincantieri. On 7 December 2024, the ship was commissioned at the Italian Navy's base in Livorno.

Project and construction

As part of the units planned under the 2014–2015 naval law, the new multi-role/multi-function amphibious ship has a full load displacement of approximately 38,000 tons and an overall length of about , making it the largest unit in the fleet. It features two distinct islands, the first (at the bow) for navigation and the second (at the stern) for the management and control of flight operations. This configuration serves a triple purpose, providing a greater visual range, more space on the flight deck, and a more efficient management of various activities.

The flight deck has a length of and a width of , with a total of nine spots for aircraft. It is equipped with two aircraft elevators with a maximum capacity of 42 tons.

''Trieste'' is equipped with a floodable well deck below the hangar, which allows the use of amphibious vehicles such as Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM), rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB), Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft, L-CAC, and the most innovative rapid amphibious landing vehicles (L-CAT) used by NATO and European navies. Unlike the aircraft carrier , which has a single reconfigurable hangar not floodable for vehicle transport, this unit has, below the flight deck, two additional decks, one of which is a hangar with an area of and 530 linear meters for vehicle parking with removable bulkheads to reach , connected to a lower deck of , divided into a garage of with 253 linear meters for vehicle parking and a floodable well deck, sized for the entry of four LCM-1E or one LCAC.

Like ''Cavour'' and , ''Trieste'' also features a ski-jump on the flight deck to facilitate the takeoff of STOVL F-35B aircraft, as reported in the technical specifications, maintaining secondary air capability to be used in case of necessity when ''Cavour'' is not available.

The propulsion group has two shafts with variable-pitch five-bladed propellers and two balanced spade rudders, two retractable stabilizer fins, two forward thrusters, and one aft thruster, ensuring greater maneuverability in confined spaces compared to just rudders/propellers.

The first steel plate was cut on July 12, 2017, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia, and a little over seven months later, on February 20, 2018, the keel was laid at the shipyard's slipway, marking the start of the ship's construction. The ship was launched and christened on May 25, 2019, in the presence of the President Sergio Mattarella, with his daughter serving as the ship's godmother. The first sea trial took place on August 12, 2021, off the coast of La Spezia. Three Fincantieri shipyards were involved: the hull was constructed in Castellammare di Stabia, the outfitting was carried out in Muggiano, and the hull maintenance was performed in Palermo.

Design

Armament and sensors

The ship is equipped with state-of-the-art weapon systems. Trieste is fitted with three multi-role Otobreda 76/62 guns (two at the bow and one at the stern) configured as Super Rapid guns with the Strales system and guided ammunition, including provisions for the new Vulcano ammunition. For additional defense, the ship has three remotely controlled OTO Melara 25/80 remote weapon systems equipped with a 25 mm Oerlikon KBA cannon (25x137mm) and two OTO Melara ODLS-20 rocket launchers for launching underwater and aerial decoys. Trieste is fitted for but not with two Sylver A50 vertical launch systems with eight cells each, for a total capacity of 16 Aster 15/30 missiles.

Trieste features an advanced sensor suite consisting of the PAR SPN-720, a precision approach radar, a 3D volumetric system capable of tracking 300 tracks and 12 targets simultaneously, with a range exceeding , Radar Kronos Power Shield (AESA in L-band), a multifunction surveillance system with a range of , IFF SIR-M-PA, a secondary radar for ship and aircraft identification, Dual-band Radar Kronos (DBR AESA 4FF): C-band (Kronos Quad - Fitted For) and X-band (Kronos StarFire), TACAN AN-553/N, for precision approach and sending information to aircraft in flight, "Zeus" EWS (Electronic Warfare System), developed by Elettronica SpA, equipped with a solid-state GaN TRX-based electronic attack subsystem. The EW component is integrated with a Radar Emitter Locator (RE), Radar Countermeasures (RCM), and Radio Communications Countermeasures (RCCM), effective in both open sea and coastal waters. It provides advanced maritime surveillance and situational assessment through ELINT and COMINT, along with an algorithm SEI, and Automatic combat operations direction system SADOC 4.

Airwing

The ship features a flight deck measuring , covering an area of approximately , with nine takeoff spots for heavy helicopters or F-35B fighter jets. Flight deck operations are controlled from the aft island. In full operational conditions, the ship can carry a total of 30–34 aircraft in various combinations of jets and helicopters. In fact, with an area of (compared to the of ''Cavour''), is designed to accommodate a maximum of 14 aircraft, also in various configurations. There are two elevators at the stern each with a maximum load of 42 tons.

Amphibious capabilities

The ship's amphibious capabilities are highly advanced, and they serve as the primary weapon of the unit. The second deck, below the hangar, with an area of , features a floodable well deck measuring , designed to accommodate four LCMs, referred to as LC23, or one LCAC / LCAT. The LCMs will be able to transport 1 Ariete tank, 5 Iveco LMV Lynx vehicles, or 1 Centauro, 1 Freccia, or 300 soldiers.

Hospital

The ship will also be equipped with a fully equipped hospital, including operating rooms, radiology and analysis laboratories, a dental clinic, and a ward for 28 seriously ill patients, covering a total area of 700 m². Additional beds will be accommodated in specially prepared container modules.

In May 2019, the ship was launched at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyards and transferred to La Spezia for final outfitting. The initial delivery was expected by 2022, but it was later postponed to the end of 2023. The construction phase involved over 300 workers, while the installation and completion phase is expected to engage 800 people.

See also

* Italian Naval Aviation
* Spanish landing helicopter dock Juan Carlos I, a ship of similar class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trieste, Italian landing helicopter dock
Aircraft carriers of the Italian Navy
Ships built by Fincantieri
Ships built in La Spezia
2019 ships