''Etna'' is an

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...

that entered service with the Marina Militare in 1998.
She is designed to support fleet operations with fuel and dry stores.
''Etna'' is the Italian single vessel of Etna class with a sister ship, HS ''Prometheus'', was built under licence in Greece and entered service with the Hellenic Navy in 2003.

Design and construction

''Etna'' is the fifth Italian ship to bear the name. She was ordered in July 1995, and was built by

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

at the Riva Trigoso Naval Shipyard. She was launched in July 1997, and underwent sea trials during November before delivery to the Italian Navy in February 1998. ''Etna'' is designed as a support ship able to supply a larger squadron at sea. As such, she has the capability to refuel ships, produce fresh water, and carry cargo. She has a cargo capacity of up to 5,795 tons of diesel fuel, 1,585 tons of aviation fuel for aircraft on aircraft carriers, 160 tons of fresh water, up to twelve containers, for about total 2,000 m3 of solid goods. She has a

length between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...

of , and an overall length of . Her beam is , and she draws . She is powered by two Sulzer diesel engines, which drive two propellers through reduction gearing. This system gives ''Etna'' a speed of , though she has the greatest range () at a speed of .

Armament

''Etna'' is equipped with minimal armament and an

electronic warfare support measures In military telecommunications, electronic support (ES) or electronic support measures (ESM) gather intelligence through passive "listening" to electromagnetic radiations of military interest. They are an aspect of electronic warfare involving ac ...

system. The ship is also equipped with an Alenia Marconi Systems radar, a Selex command system and an Elmer MAC communications system.

Service history

In March 2011, ''Etna'' was deployed to the coast of

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

as part of

Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the Libyan Civil War and adopted on 26 February and 17 March 2011, respectively. These resolutions imposed ...

, a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

operation to enforce an arms embargo on Libya.

References

External links

Etna (A 5326)
Marina Militare website {{DEFAULTSORT:Etna (A5326) Auxiliary ships of the Italian Navy 1997 ships Ships built by Cantieri Navali del Tirreno e Riuniti