Construction and outfitting activities continue the four Type U212 NFS (Near Future Submarines). On September 30th, at the Fincantieri shipyards in Muggiano (La Spezia), the ceremony was held for the setting up of the central hull section of the second U212 Near Future Submarine, the submarine “Pietro Calvi” (S511), dedicated to the historic figure of the Italian Risorgimento.
The event marks the milestone of a further contractual milestone in the NFS program, which began with the construction of the first submarine in 2022 – under the management of the OCCAR International Agency on behalf of the Navy, and which provides for the supply of four modern underwater units starting from 2029. Just seven months after the setting up of the first submarine “Goffredo Mameli” and the start of production of the second boat in June 2023, the laying of the hull portion on the slipway of the Calvi Submarine represents a significant result both in symbolic terms, linked to the life of the boat, and practical, connected with the brilliant production performance by the Shipyard.
The event marks the transition from the production of individual rings and hull sections to the final modular assembly phase. From this exact moment of production, the submarine begins to progressively take its hull shape envisaged by the project, through the physical integration of its main structural components. A ceremony with a double symbolic value. In fact, in addition to celebrating the prestigious production milestone, the Fincantieri shipyard at Muggiano also saw the birth, almost 100 years ago, of the “first” Calvi, a Royal Oceanic Submarine set up in 1932 a few steps from the current NFS port and operating for the entire Second World War. This was followed by the entry into service for only a decade of the second submarine Calvi, from 1961 to 1971, a boat rebuilt in Taranto, at the historic F. Tosi shipyard, recovering the sunken hull of the Royal submarine Bario.
With over 135 years of history of the underwater component of the Italian Navy, four submarines are currently in production simultaneously at Fincantieri Muggiano; of these, two underwater units are subjected to platform and hull outfitting activities within a single Fincantieri workshop. The achievement of this level of industriousness on one of the most technically demanding naval platforms from the point of view of shipbuilding, reflects not only the confirmation of the high value of the industrial capacity and its organizational effectiveness, but also the commitment and professionalism of the workforce that – at all levels – supports and carries out the program: Industry, Defense, OCCAR Management and Procurement Agency. The ceremony was chaired by Rear Admiral Francesco Milazzo, Chief of the 5th Submarine and Underwater Dimension Department of the Italian Navy General Staff and Commander of the Submarines, the Project Manager of the OCCAR U212 NFS Program Division, Captain Decio Trinca, the Director of Operations of the Naval Ships Division of Fincantieri, Dr. Attilio Dapelo and finally the Director of the Integrated Naval Shipyard Riva Trigoso – Muggiano, engineer Antonio Quintano, together with most of the workers who are making the implementation of the NFS program possible. The Unit will be delivered during 2030.
