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Ponza-class transport ship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coastal transport ship Levanzo (A 5366), Messina, 2013
Class overview
NamePonza
BuildersCantiere Navale Mario Morini, Ancona
Operators Italian Navy
In commission1988-1990
Planned5
Building5
Completed5
Active5
General characteristics
TypeCoastal transport ship
Displacement
  • - 584 t (575 long tons) / 689.89 t (678.99 long tons) full load
  • - 478,06 478.06 t (470.51 long tons) empty
Length56.72 m (186 ft 1 in) LOA
Beam10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draught3.06 m (10 ft 0 in)
Propulsion
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Range3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi)
Crew32 (of which 3 officials)
Sensors and
processing systems
1 x GEM Elettronica MM/SPN-754 v2 navigation radars
Notes1 x 15 t (15 long tons) cranes
Palmaria (A 5368) in 2012

The Ponza class is a series of five Coastal transport ships of the Marina Militare, named as Moto Trasporto Fari, MTF (Lighthouses Vessels).

Roles

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Ponza class ships are designed for:[1]

  • the maintenance and modernization of the coastal maritime signalling and headlights
  • recovery and replacement of buoys, beacons, lights, catenaries, pylons, etc.
  • can also be used for transport of various materials
  • as well as water and fuel or other goods for the supply of naval ships or small islands
  • minelayer roles

Ships

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Ponza (A5364)[2]

Ponza (A5364) in Venice

Ship Ponza is a unit of type Motion Transport Lighthouses (M.T.F.), which takes the name of the homonymous island of the Pontian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, launched in 1988, in force to the First Group Auxiliary Ships (COMGRUPAUS UNO), was relocated to the First Naval Division (COMDINAV UNO) in 2021.

The vessel is primarily used for activities related to the maintenance and proper functioning of maritime signals necessary to ensure safe navigation in coastal waters. For this reason the unit is equipped with a crane and a winch capable of lifting respectively up to 15 and 20 tons of weight needed to move the heavy boulders of which the signals themselves are composed.

Ship Ponza, in addition to the activities related to the Lighthouses Campaign, a task for which it was designed in the past, has carried out several operations in favor of the population, such as the transport of humanitarian aid to the Bosnian people in the years 1995 - 1996 and the conduct, concurrently with the civil protection, of the Forest Fire Emergency Campaign in the North East of Sardinia. The unit, moreover, is employed in activities related to the training of future ship commanders, which School of Naval Command and Traineeship of maneuver for officers (Tir.M.Uff.).

 Italian Navy - Ponza class
Name Pennant
number
Hull
number
Displacement
tonnes, f.l.
Laid down Launched Commissioned Initial
number
wiki commons
Ponza A 5364 MTF 229 [3] 685 25 March 1987 24 September 1988 9 December 1988 MTF-1304[4]
Levanzo A 5366 MTF 230 658,88 25 March 1987 21 June 1989 6 September 1989 MTF-1305
Tavolara A 5367 MTF 231 685,59 25 March 1987 28 November 1988 28 February 1989 MTF-1306
Palmaria A 5368 MTF 232 685,89 25 March 1987 25 February 1989 19 May 1989 MTF-1307[5]
Procida A 5383 MTF 238 584 14 September 1989 23 June 1990 14 November 1990 MTF-1308

References

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  1. ^ "Marina Militare". www.marina.difesa.it. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Ponza - Marina Militare". www.marina.difesa.it (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "La Marina Militare Italiana Dal 1981 al 1990".
  5. ^ "Marina Militare". www.marina.difesa.it. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011.
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