Centauro-class frigate

Castore
Class overview
Name	Centauro
Builders	Tosi Shipyard, Taranto Orlando Shipyard, Livorno
Operators	Italian Navy
Preceded by	Aldebaran class
Succeeded by	Bergamini class
Built	1952-1956
In commission	1957-1985
Planned	4
Completed	4
Retired	4
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	2,137 t (2,103 long tons)
Length	103.1 m (338 ft 3 in) pp 94.0 m (308 ft 5 in) overall
Beam	12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draft	3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 × diesels 22,000 bhp (16,000 kW) 2 × shafts
Speed	26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range	3,020 nautical miles (5,590 km; 3,480 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2 × lifeboats
Complement	235
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-6 radar sonar MLT fire control radar
Armament	Early: 2 × twin Oto Melara 76/62mm 1 × 2 × triple Mark 44 torpedo tubes 2 × illuminating mortar Later: 3 × single 76mm/L62 Allargato 2 × 105mm illuminating mortar 1 × Menon ASW mortar 2 × 324mm torpedo tubes

The Centauro class was a class of four frigates operated by the Italian Navy. They entered service in 1957, with the last one being stricken in 1985.^[1]

Characteristics[]

The hull had a continuous deck, with a wide pony, a cutter bow and a narrow stern, with an inclined mirror, sharp and slightly rounded. The compartmentation of the hull was with watertight bulkheads that divided the various rooms between them. the hull had rounded edges and was completely devoid of portholes, which made the bulwarks more resistant, also avoiding the entry into the interior of any due to nuclear explosions. At the end of the bow there was an electric winch for the maneuvering of the two anchors.

The superstructures consisted of a central castle moved towards the bow that continued towards the stern in a long and wide deckhouse which was surmounted by a two-storey construction with two funnels arranged symmetrically with respect to the bow and stern. Aft of the first funnel there was a large tripod mast that supported the radar antennas, while in the structure aft of the second funnel there was another smaller mast that would later be removed.

The main command rooms for steering the ship both in navigation and in combat were located in the main superstructure. At the front the command bridge with the bridge, inside which, in the center, was the main wheelhouse, behind which on the upper floor were the COC (Combat Operations Center) and the radar station. On the lower floor, under the command bridge, there was the AS-SIOC (the Antisom Central Information Service Operations Combat) and further aft the R.T. main. The main firing range was located amidships below deck, while a secondary firing station was located in the small deckhouse aft of the second funnel.

Armament[]

The main armament consisted of four 76/62 mm Oto Melara cannons in two twin towers with superimposed barrels, derived from the single SMP3 type embarked on the Albatros, whose firing frequency was 60 rounds per minute, which, however, did not give the hoped-for results would not have been embarked on any other unit. Compared to the single model embarked on the Albatros corvettes, the Centauro towers were fully automatic and continuous loading, thus allowing a higher rate of fire.^[2][3]

The anti-aircraft armament consisted of four 40/70 mm Bofors machine gunners in two twin systems placed to the right and left of the central deckhouse aft of the second funnel; the Centauro were the last units to mount these guns. The anti-aircraft armament was completed by two 105mm triple illuminating mortars mounted on the central formwork, one on each side forward of the bridge.^[3]

The anti-submarine armament upon entry into service consisted of a 305mm long , derived from the similar English Limbo model, placed forward on the formwork aft of the main tower and four short Menon launchers, arranged two on each side on deck amidships.^[3]

Ships in the class[]

Citations[]