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Patrol ship Spica (P 403)
Class overview
Name	Cassiopea
Builders	Fincantieri – Muggiano
Operators	Italian Navy
Completed	4
Active	Cassiopea (P 401) Libra (P 402) Spica (P 403) Vega (P 404)
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Displacement	1.130 t (1.112 long tons) standard 1.500 t (1.476 long tons) full load
Length	79.80 m (261 ft 10 in) oa 71.50 m (234 ft 7 in) pp
Beam	11.80 m (38 ft 9 in)
Draught	3.60 m (11 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	- 2 x shafts - 2 x diesel engines Grandi Motori Trieste BL-230.16 propulsion diesels 5.84 kW (7.83 bhp) - 3 x diesel engine generators Isotta Fraschini ID 36SS6V - 1 x diesel engine generator Isotta Fraschini VM-V6130T for emergency
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) maximum 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) continuous
Range	3,300 nmi (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Endurance	35 days
Crew	6 officers, 54 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	1 × SMA SPN-748(V)2 Navigation radar 1 × AESN SPS-702(v)2 surface search radar 1 × AESN SPG-70 (RTN 10X) fire control radar 1 × GEM Elettronica Gemini-DB navigation radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	Elint equipment
Armament	1 × OTO Melara 76/62mm Allargato gun 2 × OTO Melara 25/80 guns with Oerlikon KBA 25 mm 2 × 7,62 mm MG 42/59 machine guns
Aircraft carried	1 Agusta-Bell AB-212 ASW helicopter
Aviation facilities	Hangar and flight deck

The Cassiopea class is a series of four heavy patrol boats of the Italian Navy. They were built in the late 1980s on civilian standards. They are designed for patrol in safe areas.

Development and design

In the early 1980s the Italian navy developed two classes of corvettes to replace older vessels. The Minerva class were fully combatant ships to serve as coastal escorts, and equipped with modern sensors and armament, while the Cassiopea class were simpler offshore patrol vessels intended to replace the old Albatros-class corvettes used for fisheries patrol.

Construction of four ships (out of eight originally planned) was authorized in December 1982, with funding from the Ministry of Merchant Marine. Orders were placed in December 1986, with construction starting the next year at Fincantieri shipyard, Muggiano. The ships were built to mercantile standards, and the first ship entered service in 1989. A further two ships were cancelled in 1991, prior to the start of construction.

The ships' main gun armament is a single 76mm/L62 Allargato gun; both gun and fire control systems came from scrapped Bergamini-class frigates. Each ship is fitted with a flight deck and fixed hangar to accommodate a helicopter type Agusta-Bell AB-212 ASW of the Italian navy. Each also carries equipment for dealing with pollution. Between 2012 and 2014 all units were fitted with Selex ES Janus-N IR optronic system. As of 2014 the ships, starting with Libra were fitted with new dual-band navigation (X/Ka) Gemini-DB radar systems from GEM Elettronica.

Ships

Source:

Italian Navy - Cassiopea class
Name	Pennant number	Hull number	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Motto
Cassiopea	P 401	5846	16 March 1987	19 July 1988	21 October 1989	Adsum
Libra	P 402	5847	16 March 1987	27 July 1988	23 March 1991	Patiens vigil audax
Spica	P 403	5848	5 September 1988	27 May 1989	23 March 1991	Vigile attendo
Vega	P 404	5849	30 June 1989	24 February 1990	8 May 1992	Sempre e ovunque

Notes

1. ^ Baker 1998, pp. 380–381.
2. "Pattugliatori OPV (PG)". (In Italian) Marina Militare. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
3. Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 197.
4. Grove 1990, p. 95.
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2016-11-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

References

• Baker, A.D. The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1998–1999. Annapolis, Maryland, USA. ISBN 1-55750-111-4.
• Gardiner, Roger and Stephen Chumbley. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Grove, Eric J. NATO Major Warships – Europe. Tri-Service Pocketbook. London: Tri-Service Press, 1990. ISBN 1-85400-006-3.

External links

• Cassiopea (P 401) Marina Militare website

• Italy
• Engineering

v t e Ship classes of the Italian Navy
Aircraft carriers	Cavour Giuseppe Garibaldi
Amphibious ships	San Giorgio class LCM62 class MTM217 class MTP96 class
Destroyers	Nicoloso da Recco (Navigatori class) Grecale (Maestrale class) Granatiere (Soldati class) Artigliere class (Benson/Gleaves class) Fante class (Fletcher class) San Giorgio class Impetuoso class Impavido class Audace class Durand de la Penne class
Frigates	Aldebaran class (Cannon class) Centauro class Bergamini class Alpino class Lupo class Maestrale class Soldati class Orizzonte class Bergamini class
Corvettes	Antilope class Gabbiano class Alabarda Albatros class Sentinella Pietro De Cristofaro class Minerva class
Patrol boats	Comandanti class Cassiopea class Sirio class Esploratore class Thaon di Revel class
Submarines	Enrico Tazzoli class (Gato class) Evangelista Torricelli class (Balao class) Gianfranco Gazzana-Priaroggia class (Tench class) Livio Piomarta class (Tang class) Marconi class Toti class Sauro class Todaro (Type 212) SRV-300
Minesweepers	Gaeta class Lerici class
Auxiliary ships	Etna class Stromboli class Anteo Marino class Elettra Alliance Leonardo Ammiraglio Magnaghi Ninfe class Rossetti class Simeto class Bormida Panarea class Gorgona class Ponza class GGS 1012 class Atlante class Ciclope class RP 101 class RP 113 class RP 118 class Ercole Porto class Cheradi Argo
Training ships	Amerigo Vespucci Palinuro Italia Orsa Maggiore Caroly Capricia Stella Polare Corsaro II
Floating dry docks	GO 59 GO 58 GO 55 GO 52 GO 22 GO 20 GO 11
Future ships	LHD Trieste PPA LSS Vulcano Cabrini class (UNPAV) USSP UIOM DDX
S Single ship of class C Served in World War II X Imported

• Ships built by Fincantieri
• Cassiopea-class patrol vessels
• Patrol ship classes