There Italian Navy currently has 8 submarines in service: the national fleet is made up of 4 units of the “Sauro class” and 4 of the “Todaro class”. However, “underwater boats” have always been “submarines” before and “submarines” then they captured the imagination of the general public and, at the same time, thanks also to the results obtained during several wars And international crisesthe attention of military strategists as ideal weapons for project power at a short or long distance but in a discreet, not to say subtle, way, thanks to the capabilities of silent navigation under water. THE’Italy is one of the countries that has operated and continues to operate such “boats” and is determined to remain relevant within this small club of nations, not least thanks to its industrial expertise.
The Italian submarines of the Royal Navy: the Delfino
The April 1, 1895 there Royal Navy I launched the first “submarine” of its own history, the “Dolphin”which would remain in service until the end of the First World War. Over the next fifty years, the Kingdom of Italy became one of the most important powers in the underwater field and its submarines distinguished themselves during both the First and the Second World War. Second World War also helping to amplify the operational capabilities of first department of naval raiders of history, the very famous 10th MAS Flotilla.
Parallel to the numerical growth of the Italian underwater weapon, the technological and productive capabilities of the national industry also grew which, thanks to the presence of cutting-edge shipyards, managed to design some of the most sophisticated classes of submarines among those of the great powers involved in the aforementioned wars. Classes, the latter, which included the complex hundreds of boats.
The “Silent Service” after the Second World War: the Toti and Sauro classes
At the end of the Second World War, as a defeated power, Italy was originally granted prohibited from rebuilding an underwater warfare componentbut the renewed hostility found globally due to the new balance of power that characterized the Cold War they obliged Western Allies to reconsider this decision, and already in the course of 1950s Italy had the chance to rebuild its own “Silent Service” (international term which identifies the operational branch of the Armed Forces that controls submarines).
The first ones 9 submarines that Italy had in service after the Second World War were all of American origin (2 of the “Gato class”, 3 of the “Balao class”, 2 of the “Tench class” and 2 of the “Tang class”) designed during the Second World War or immediately after the war and subsequently updated several times. Even though they were not considered top units in the technological field, they allowed our Navy to return to the “diving power club” from which she had been expelled.
Starting from the end of 60sthe Navy began to decommission submarines of US origin and introduce two classes of domestically designed submarines: i “Toti class” (4 units) ei “Sauro class” (8 units) which allowed the Italian shipbuilding industry to regain the technical mastery necessary for the production of modern high-performance submarines, thus reviving Italian traditions in the sector.
From the Todaro to the U-212 NFS class: what are Italy’s submarines today
Currently the Navy boasts a “Silent Service” made up of 8 units. The first 4 are the survivors of the “Sauro class”, belonging to its most technologically advanced series, while the other 4 belong to the “Todaro class”the Italian variant of submarines “Type 212A/U-212A class” that Italy developed jointly with Germany.
At the moment, the modernization programs include the progressive decommissioning of even the last Sauros and their replacement with 4 new ones “U-212 NFS class” (Near Future Submarine), new technological standard to which the U-212As now in service should also be brought. This should keep the numerical threshold unchanged 8 units (now considered indispensable), and at the same time guarantee an increase in operational capabilities, allowing the Italian submarine fleet to remain a first-rate force on the international scene well within the 21st century. Currently, the Italian Navy does not owns or operates nuclear-powered submarines.
