Fante Fletcher class Destroyer Italian Navy Marina Militare

Italian Navy / Marina Militare Italiana
Fante (US Fletcher) class Destroyer

fante us fletcher class destroyer italian navy marina militare mmi 03x

10/22

Ships:

D 561 ITS Fante
D 560 ITS Lanciere
D 555 ITS Geniere

Specifications:

Displacement: 2083 tons (standard) / 2540 tons (full load)
Length: 114.8 meters (376 feet 8 in)
Beam: 12.3 meters (40 ft 4 in)
Draft: 5.5 meters (18 ft)
Speed: 36.5 knots (68 km/h)
Range: 5000 NMI (9260 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 329 (250 in Italian service)

Propulsion:
4 x General Motors Mod.16-278A diesel engines with electric drive
60000 shp / 45000 kW
2 shafts / 2 propellers

Armament:

Fante + Lanciere
2 x Mk.12 5”/38 caliber (127mm) guns
3 x Mk.33 3”/50 caliber (76mm) twin guns
1 x RUR-4 anti-submarine rocket launcher
2 x Mk.32 12.75” (324mm) triple torpedo tubes
2 x Mk.10 Hedgehog anti-submarine projectors
1 x depth-charge rack

Geniere
4 x Mk.12 5”/38 caliber (127mm) guns
3 x Mk.33 3”/50 caliber (76mm) twin guns
2 x Mk.32 12.75” (324mm) triple torpedo tubes
2 x Mk.10 Hedgehog anti-submarine projectors
1 x depth-charge rack

Aviation:
none

Systems:
AN/SPS-6 air search radar
AN/SPS-10 surface search radar
Mk.37 director (gun fire control system) with Mk.25 fire control radar

Units:

D 561 ITS Fante
(ex USS Walker / DD 517)

Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Laid down: August 31, 1942
Launched: January 31, 1943
Commissioned: April 3, 1943 (as USS Walker / DD 517)
Decommissioned: July 2, 1969
Stricken: July 2, 1969

transferred (sold) to Italy - July 1969
renamed D-561 Fante
Decommissioned: 1975
Fate: scrapped in 1977
Name: Fante means "infantryman"

D 560 ITS Lanciere
(ex USS Taylor / DD 468)

Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Laid down: August 28, 1941
Launched: June 7, 1942
Commissioned: August 28, 1942 (as USS Taylor / DD 468)
Decommissioned: June 3, 1969
Stricken: July 2, 1969

transferred (sold) to Italy - July 1969
renamed D-560 Lanciere
Decommissioned: 1971
Fate: cannibalized for spare parts for her sister ships in Italian Navy; finally scrapped
Name: Lanciere means "lancer"

D 555 ITS Geniere
(ex USS Prichett / DD 561)

Builder: Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding, Seattle, Washington, USA
Laid down: July 20, 1942
Launched: July 31, 1943
Commissioned: January 15, 1944 (as USS Prichett / DD 561)
Decommissioned: January 10, 1970
Stricken: January 10, 1970

transferred (sold) to Italy - January 17, 1970
renamed D-555 Geniere
Decommissioned: 1975
Fate: scrapped in 1975
Name: Geniere means "Engineer"

The Fante class of destroyers of the Italian Navy consisted of three units belonging to the United States Navy of the Fletcher class that Italy bought from the United States in 1969-1970, in order to replace the destroyers of the Artigliere class. The ships underwent changes compared to their original armament, and being very worn ships, served only for five years, except the Lanciere which was immediately disarmed and cannibalized to provide spare parts for her two sisters.

The ships purchased were in fact initially two, the DD-517 USS Walker (Fante) and DD-468 USS Taylor (Lanciere) who joined the Navy in June 1969. The disastrous conditions of the second ship, however, led to purchase in January 1970 a third unit, the DD-561 USS Prichett (Geniere). The Lanciere, therefore, was reused to supply spare parts to the two sister units.

images

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D 561 ITS Fante

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D 561 ITS Fante

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D 561 ITS Fante

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D 561 ITS Fante

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D 561 ITS Fante

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D 561 ITS Fante

d-560 lanciere fante fletcher class destroyer its navy italian navy marina militare 02

D 560 ITS Lanciere

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D 555 ITS Geniere

d-555 geniere fante fletcher class destroyer its navy italian navy marina militare 02

D 555 ITS Geniere

IN US SERVICE:

dd-517 uss walker d-561 its fante fletcher class destroyer 02

DD 517 USS Walker (later D-561 ITS Fante)

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DD 517 USS Walker (later D-561 ITS Fante)

dd-468 uss taylor d-560 its lanciere fante fletcher class destroyer 02

DD 468 USS Taylor (later D-560 ITS Lanciere)

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DD 468 USS Taylor (later D-560 ITS Lanciere)

dd-561 uss prichett d-555 its geniere fante fletcher class destroyer 03

DD 561 USS Prichett (later D-555 ITS Geniere)

dd-561 uss prichett d-555 its geniere fante fletcher class destroyer 02

DD 561 USS Prichett (later D-555 ITS Geniere)

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