Italy's Fincantieri will build newest class of US Navy warships
By: Amanda Macias (MSN)
In my brief times at sea I can attest to the fact that the frigate USS George Phillip (FFG-12) looks nothing like the pictures below, especially the pictures of the Italian passageways which are reminiscent of CVN-72, the Stinkin Lincoln, (the Bad Penny) a "modern" US aircraft carrier.
When I look at the pictures of the passageways I can't help but wonder at what temperature the floor would start burning. (Sorry)
There is no feeling like being out of sight of the rest of the fleet and being on a frigate with 226 other souls and 6 lifeboats./s
Do the math...
On a carrier you can sometimes forget you are at sea. Period.
The Italian design looks wonderful.
Which is why I have to ask, why Italy?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
- The U.S. Navy awarded Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine $5.5 billion to develop the services' newest class of warships, called frigates.
- The Italian Fregata Europea Multi-Missione, or FREMM, is a multi-mission warship that was one of five contenders for the lucrative U.S. Navy contract.
- CNBC spent a day aboard the Italian Navy's Fincantieri-built Alpino warship in 2018 while the vessel toured the U.S. East Coast.
© Provided by CNBC The Italian navy's Alpino FREMM frigate.
WASHINGTON — Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine has been awarded $5.5 billion to develop the U.S. Navy's newest class of warships.
The contract, announced last week, is for the design and construction of the lead frigate, with an option to buy nine more. If the U.S. Navy exercised all options on the contract, delivery of the 10th ship would be delivered in the mid-2030s.
The Pentagon estimated the first ship would cost $1.2 billion. The nine subsequent ships would cost up to approximately $781 million, in 2018 constant dollars, Navy officials said in a call with reporters.
© Provided by CNBC An exterior view of the Italian warship Alpino.
The Italian Fregata Europea Multi-Missione, or FREMM, is a multi-mission warship that was one of five contenders for the lucrative U.S. Navy contract.
In February 2018, the U.S. Navy awarded $15 million design contracts to Fincantieri Marine, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Huntington Ingalls, Austal, and Lockheed Martin. The competition slimmed to Fincantieri, Huntington Ingalls, Austal and a joint venture between General Dynamics and Spanish shipbuilder Navantia.
A look inside
CNBC spent a day aboard the Italian Navy's Fincantieri-built Alpino warship in 2018 while the vessel toured the U.S. East Coast. The visit was organized to introduce the vessel to U.S. Navy leadership, sailors and lawmakers.
The tour began with a brief overview of the nearly 550-foot long vessel, its crew, capabilities and an espresso from one of several machines aboard the vessel.
© Provided by CNBC An espresso aboard the Italian Alpino warship.
"I showed my ship to some American sailors and they told me that this is the ship of the future. I had a hard time believing that because I come from a little Italian town and our navy is not as big as the United States Navy," Mario Olivieri, an Italian sailor assigned to the FREMM Alpino, told CNBC aboard the vessel.
"So, I'm proud of my ship," Olivieri said walking along the ship's noticeably wide passageways.
© Provided by CNBC A view of a passageway on the Italian frigate Alpino.
The Italian warship, which would be modified to meet U.S. Navy specifications and requirements, is capable of conducting anti-submarine warfare, point-defense anti-air warfare, electronic warfare, anti-surface warfare and special operation insertion.
"It's a proven design operating at sea with both the Italian and French navies. The French have taken it and have launched in combat," a spokesperson for Fincantieri Marinette Marine told CNBC, referring to the 2018 retaliatory strikes in Syria.
The targeted strikes, carried out by the United States, United Kingdom and France, were aimed at destroying the Syrian regime's chemical weapons infrastructure days after a suspected chemical attack by Syrian forces. On April 13, 2018, the French used one of its Fincantieri-built ships to successfully launch naval cruise missiles against a chemical weapons production site.
From the bridge of the ship, we are shown how the missiles were launched during the April strike. Fincantieri's design is equipped with a 16-cell vertical launch system, or VLS, for holding and firing missiles.
© Provided by CNBC A view of the Italian warship Alpino's 16-cell vertical launch system where missiles are held and launched from.
Other armaments include two Oto-Breda 76mm guns, two three-tube torpedo launchers positioned both port and starboard, two Oto-Breda 25mm machine guns and two NH-90 helicopters.
In terms of payload, the vessel can carry MU90 torpedoes, surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missile and anti-submarine missiles, and missiles on each of the helicopters.
The ship also carries a rigid-hull inflatable fast boat that can be deployed from a controlled door and ramp system. This feature is a crucial design element that can be used for special operations insertion missions.
© Provided by CNBC A naval gun aboard the Italian navy warship Alpino.
The U.S. Navy ships, according to the Pentagon contract, will be built at Fincantieri's Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, which currently makes the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ships.
"When we began this journey nearly two years ago it was with the belief that there was a place for new ideas, new platforms and new partners in an already talented U.S. shipbuilding industry," Fincantieri Marine Group CEO Dario Deste said in a statement.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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On a very tiny scale I guess the question is; is your Hyundai made in Montgomery Alabama or Monterey Mexico really a Korean car? or is it in your mind at least, made in North America?
Is a Mercedes whose serial number starts with 55S assembled in Georgia USA really American or German?
I think we all know where the profit ends up.
So why in the world would the anti globalist government of the Trump Administration give an Italian shipbuilder a contract for
one new frigate, with the option for 9 more extending out to 2030?
I really don't know who to bitch at more.
During the Obama years the Administration tried to cancel the Zumwaldt class destroyer. Paul Ryan forced two more upon Obama and us taxpayers in spite of the fact that the ammunition for the two gun destroyer is prohibitively expensive, like $900 thousand per round. Now we have three of these destroyers with no ammo and no punch, the definition of dead in the water.
Wake up to the "America First" campaign which helped elect Mr Trump.
Maga hats and red silk ties still made in China despite the trade talk rhetoric and now the accusations by Trump of the Beijing government in all things related to the virus.
Yet the trade between the two country's continues unabated.
What happened to the promises and threats of the anti globalist speech given by the "America First" POTUS at the UN?
red meat thrown to his gullible supporters. political posturing opportunities for both sides. let's hope the propulsion system for these ships are american made, otherwise they'll spend more time in the shop than at sea.
I realize that this is a rare political article for me, but this galls me at a deeply personal level.
Keep your comments on topic and not personal.
There will be no second warnings.
Thanks in advance.
I like the ship. It’s a neat design. I’m glad that it’s being built here by American workers. I’ve had American made Kia and Hyundai cars and now an American Nissan. I’ve had a Ford, Chrysler, and Chevy as well. As a part Italian I’m proud. There’s nothing wrong with sharing military platforms with our allies for compatibility when working together as long as they are physically made in America and all the parts are too.
Capitalism & NAFTA forced all American auto manufacturers to make sure 20% of the parts came from other than the USA back in the 90's.
For the big 3, Ford, GM and Toyota that's not a problem, they simply get the majority of the 20% from Mexico, Japan and Canada and vice versa.
Vehicles not subject to NAFTA, like Kia, Hyundai are assembled in the USA with parts imported from Korea
and KIA (red box) , Hyundai ( Blue box) parts manufactured in the USA By Hyundai Mobis ( gray box) all with the same part number and engineering.
Nissan operates similarly with 60% of each North American model imported to the USA for assembly.
The mix of parts in cars is sometimes frightening. The old mercury Villager was essentially made by Nissan and had lots of crossover parts that fit the Sentra, like brake calipers and alternators.
If the profits end up off shore, is the part or the car really American?
I am thinking it was the espresso that won them over.
I knew what was going to be said and sure enough, it was...Well the jobs will be here.
It is still basically our navy/government paying a foreign enterprise. Bypassed American companies.
Are we now also going to have to rely on Italian parts and service?
I guess the whole buy American is only lip service.
One of my oldest friends has a very old Ducati. I would not go there, lol.
italian cars are works of art. which means when those status symbols aren't running, at least they still look very impressive parked in the driveway
Perhaps the Italian built destroyers will resemble the Ferrari, beautiful to look at, fast but so expensive that less than 1% can ever afford one.
Our new destroyer will be the Billion Dollar Baby.
Or our newest Fuckit will be the Billion Dollar Baby.
And now we will build the 11th.
May it not be orphaned and neutered like the Zumwaldt destroyers.