Minerva class corvette

Minerva class corvette
Urania F552.jpg
The ship Urania
Class overview
Name: Minerva
Builders: Fincantieri
Operators:  Marina Militare
In commission: 1987
Completed: 8
Active: Minerva (F 551)

Danaide (F 553)
Sfinge (F 554)
Urania (F 552)
Driade (F 555)
Chimera (F 556)
Fenice (F 557)

Sibilla (F 558)
General characteristics
Type: corvette
Displacement: 1285 tonnes
Length: 87 m
Beam: 10.5 m
Draught: 3.2 (4.8) m
Propulsion: 2 Diesel Grandi Motori Trieste BM-230.20 DVM outputting 11.000 HP (8.088 kW)
Speed: 25 knots
Range: 3,500 nm at 18 knots
Complement: 7 officers, 113 men
Sensors and
processing systems:

AA/ASu-Radar Selenia SPS-774 (RAN 10S) E/F Band
1 SMA SPS-728 Navigation radar

Sonar: Raytheon/Elsag DE-1167
Electronic warfare
and decoys:

Fire control: 1 Selenia SPG-75 (RTN 30X) for Albatros and 76mm

Communication: IPN-10 (Mini-SADOC), Link 11
Armament:

1 Otobreda 76 mm
Sea Sparrow or Selenia Aspide in a 8-cell launcher
6 × 324mm TLS ASW torpedoes

4 heavy machine guns

The Minerva class is a series of corvettes of the Italian Marina Militare.

They were built in two series of four units in the 1980s and 1990s. The ships have fairly good speed and armament, including a 76mm general-purpose gun, but, due to their emphasis on anti-submarine warfare, they lack anti-missile capabilities.

These units are designed to operate in coastal areas. Their main missions include sea police, patrolling, policing fishing areas and training naval commandos.