Italian Navy Landing Helicopter Dock Trieste Nears Full Service

Published:

January 15, 2023

Updated:

March 5, 2025

Trieste — The Italian Navy’s new landing helicopter dock Trieste is finishing fit-out work in its namesake port. Crews install last cables, test pumps, and seal bulkhead gaps that slipped first reviews. Yard teams say hand-over stays on the late-2024 window, with sea trials set for early summer 2025.

Program Background

Rome ordered the ship in 2015 to replace the aging Giuseppe Garibaldi carrier and older San Giorgio-class docks. Fincantieri cut first steel in July 2017 at Castellammare di Stabia, laid the keel in Feb 2018, and launched the hull in May 2019. Each stage met or missed plan by only few days, a rare record for large naval work.

Transport barges moved 20 main blocks up the Adriatic. The choice spared mountain roads and tight tunnels yet forced heavy-weather routing; two lifts paused when Bora winds gusted past 35 kn.

Dimensions and Power

Length — ~245 m
Beam — 36 m max
Full-load displacement — ≈33 000 t
Propulsion — 2 gas turbines (32 MW each) plus 2 diesels (8 MW each) in CODAG layout
Speed — 25 kn sprint, 16 kn cruise
Range — ~7 000 nmi @ 16 kn

Engineers used CFD runs and 1∶16 tank models to cut slap in head seas. Final hull form posts 9 % lower resistance than early draft, chief designer said last week.

Flight Operations

A 230 m × 36 m flight deck supports nine helicopter spots plus two strengthened pads for STOVL jets. A steel ski-jump, set at 12.5°, helps F-35B aircraft clear the bow with heavier weapon load.

Four ammo lifts and twin fuel loops feed the deck. Pump tests on 4 March pushed 780 L/min per loop, just above spec. Flight-deck crews drilled hot refuel last month using an EH-101; no leaks logged, though one clamp needed re-torque.

Well Deck and Boats

Stern gates open to a 50 m × 15 m well deck. Ballast pumps flood the bay in 12 min, slightly faster than target. The navy plans to embark:

3 × LCM-1E landing craft
2 × RIA hover pontoons for disaster loads
Emergency rigid inflatables for SAR tasks

LCAC trials stay possible, but deck fendering and vent ducts need small mods first, a dock engineer told local press, adding “cost is low, but time slots tight”.

Vehicle and Troop Lift

Below flight spaces lie twin vehicle garages with 2 850 m² clear deck. Ramps rated 70 t let main battle tanks roll aboard. Total personnel lift reaches 1 064 berths:

580 crew
440 marine or army seats
44 staff posts in flag bridge

Cabin fit now sits 92 % finished. Missing parts include ten bunk frames delayed from a Veneto supplier.

Medical Complex

A 700 m² Role 2+ hospital spreads over two decks. Gear list:

2 operating theatres
1 radiology suite with CT
8 ICU beds
Dental room and lab

Medical staff ran a 36-hour mass-casualty drill in mid-February. Power backup held, but one suction pump tripped twice; vendor swaps the unit this week.

C4I Facilities

Trieste mounts Leonardo Kronos © Grand Naval AESA radar and an E-band LPI set. COMMS stack links to NATO Link-22 and Italian SICCONA net. Data tests with the destroyer Caio Duilio on 11 January moved 40 track files in 1.8 sec median, beating spec by 0.4 sec.

Server racks cooled by closed-loop water chillers sit one deck below the flag bridge. During a fire-dummy run, sprinklers overshot and soaked two KVM panels; spares installed in 24 h.

Industrial Footprint

Fincantieri leads, but 140 firms across Friuli Venezia Giulia supply parts: cabling, pumps, galley sets. City data show shipWork added 520 full-time jobs since 2018. Port café owners report 15–18 % more lunch trade on high-shift weeks.

Public Reaction

Local papers track progress weekly. School groups tour a safe catwalk near the bow; guides limit stays to 15 min in winter due to wind chill. Some civic groups question defense spend, yet city chamber notes dual-use value in disaster relief.

Mediterranean Role

Analysts cite Trieste as Italy’s key expeditionary core. The hull can spearhead a task group of frigates, subs, and oilers, giving Rome autonomous option in the central Med or Red Sea. Commanders stress fast switch from combat to aid work, pointing to past migrant rescues by smaller LPDs.

Allied Interoperability

The ship’s wave-piercing bow and ski-jump mirror Spanish Juan Carlos I. Shared deck code eases cross-decking of AV-8B and F-35B jets. France’s Mistral-class and UK Queen Elizabeth group plan a three-carrier exercise with Trieste in autumn 2025, navy source confirmed Tuesday.

March 2025 Update

The vessel returned to Trieste on 3 March for a three-day open-ship event. Over 11 000 visitors walked controlled routes through hangar, bridge, and medical deck. City police logged no incidents; only minor queue flare when ticket printer jammed.

After port call, Trieste sailed to Exercise Mare Guard 25 with Spanish, Greek, and French units. Scenarios covered beach landing, helo CASEVAC, and convoy escort. A post-exercise brief says the ship’s comms uptime hit 99.2 %, though one SATCOM dome dropped link for nine min in heavy rain.

Humanitarian Tasking

Early January storms struck eastern Tunisia. Trieste diverted with 400 t relief cargo: tents, field kitchens, power sets. Well deck off-loaded gear via LCM in two tides. Crew doctors treated 67 patients on board, mostly cuts and fractures.

Future Work

Naval staff list possible upgrades:

Block 2 Kronos radar by 2028
16-cell VLS for CAMM-ER point defence
Hybrid-drive retrofit study launching 2026

Fincantieri collects sensor logs to refine next amphibious program. Yard leaders hint at an export pitch to two unnamed states, citing shared hull tooling.

Commissioning Path

Formal commissioning slated Q4 2025 after full power and aviation trials. Navy will raise readiness level to 2 on signing day, moving ship to active duty with 599 crew.

Economic Footnote

Trieste city hall reports maritime cluster revenue up 6.4 % year-on-year, attributing half to LHD work. Two machine shops expanded floor space; one composite panel firm added a night shift, though local residents complain of extra truck noise near gate D.

Closing Status

As of 28 April 2025, Trieste sits at Pier VIII. Last test cycles finish this week. If sign-off holds, the Italian Navy gains a multi-role deck able to project force, deliver aid, and lead joint groups across the wider Mediterranean.