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FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE WORLD
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CANOPO frigates (1957 - 1958)


Photo



Canopo 1980

Ships


Name No Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comm Fate
Canopo F551   CNT (Tosi), Taranto 15.5.1952 20.2.1955 4.5.1958 discarded 9.1982
Castore F553   CNT (Tosi), Taranto 14.3.1955 8.7.1956 14.7.1957 discarded 1.1983
Centauro D572, 4.1957- F554   Ansaldo, Livorno 31.5.1952 4.4.1954 4.4.1957 discarded 5.1985
Cigno D573, 4.1957- F555   CNT (Tosi), Taranto 10.2.1954 20.3.1955 7.3.1957 discarded 10.1983


Technical data


Displacement standard, t

1807
Displacement full, t

2250
Length, m

93.3 pp 103.1 oa
Breadth, m

12.0
Draught, m

3.80
No of shafts

2
Machinery

2 sets geared steam turbines, 2 Foster Wheeler (Ansaldo) boilers
Power, h. p.

22000
Max speed, kts

26
Fuel, t

oil 360
Endurance, nm(kts)3000(20)
Armament

2 x 2 - 76/62 OTO Melara, 2 x 2 - 40/70 Breda type 64, 2 x 1 - 533 TT, 1 x 3 - 305 Menon ASWRL, 4 DCT
Electronic equipmentMLA-1, SG-6B, MLT-4 radars, SQS-11A sonar
Complement

207


Standard scale images


<i>Centauro </i>1960
Centauro 1960
<i>Centauro </i>1977
Centauro 1977


Graphics


<i>Canopo </i>1980
Canopo 1980


Project history

Castore and Cigno were financed by US 'off-shore procurement' MDAP funds. The guns and fire control were Italian; sensors were American (the 76mm fire control radar was MLT-4, an Italian version of the US Mk 39, made by MicroLambda, and the main director was the Officine Galileo OG 2, comparable to the US Mk 57; the forward director was an enlarged version carrying an operator's cab. The 40mm guns were controlled by OG 1, comparable to the US Mk 51. The main ASW weapon was the new Italian Menon  mortar which was also mounted in the contemporary Impetuoso class desroyers. The two torpedo tubes were mounted angled forward on either side between the funnels.

The unusual over-and-under 76mm mounting (with the elevating gear between the barrels) was unsuccessful. It was complex to load, difficult to maintain, and the mount carried few ready-service rounds.

Modernizations

1960, all: - MLA-1 radar; + SPS-6 radar

1963 - 1964, all: - 2 DCT

(1966-1967), Castore: - 2 x 2 - 76/62, 2 x 2 - 40/70, 2 x 1 - 533 TT, MLT-4 radar; + 3 x 1 - 76/62 MMI, 2 x 3 - 324 TT, SPQ-2, 2x RTN-7X radars, SQS-36 sonar

(1968-1969), Canopo; (1970-1971), Centauro; (1972-1973), Cigno: - 2 x 2 - 76/62, 2 x 2 - 40/70, 2 x 1 - 533 TT, MLT-4 radar; + 3 x 1 - 76/62 MMI, 2 x 3 - 324 TT, SPQ-2, RTN-7X radars, SQS-36 sonar

1972, Castore: - RTN-7X radar (2nd)

1970s, all: + WLR-1, SLQ-A ECM suites

Naval service

No significant events.