Italian ship USSP

History
Italy
Name	USSP
Namesake	Unità Supporto Subacqueo Polivalente - Multipurpose submarine rescue vessel
Builder	Fincantieri
Cost	planned for € (EUR) 434 million[1]
Status	Financed with 2017's balance law
General characteristics
Type	Submarine rescue ship
Displacement	10.500 t (10.334 long tons) full load [2]
Length	- 131.5 m (431 ft 5 in) LOA - 126.8 m (416 ft) LPP
Beam	23 m (75 ft 6 in)
Depth	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	- All Electric Plant - 2 x electric azimuth Pod - 6 x LNG capable diesel generators) - Dynamic Positioning System (DP2) - 2 x Bow Thrusters
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) to 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance	30 days
Complement	- 80 crew - accommodations for 180
Sensors and processing systems	- Leonardo CMS SADOC Mk4 - 1 x Leonardo Integrated Int/Ext Communication System - 1 x Leonardo Air Surveillance Radar - 1 x Leonardo IFF Interrogator System + Transponder - 1 x Leonardo EO Surveillance System - 1 x Leonardo Fire Control System, ADT NG NA30S Mk2 - 1 x Divers Detection Sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys	EW system
Armament	- 1 × Anti-aircraft gun - 2 × Oto Melara KBA 25/80 mm, remotized - 2 x machine gun Browning M2HB 12.7 mm 2 x Long Range Acoustic Device (Long Range Acoustic System) SITEP MS-424
Notes	- embarked deployable Submarine Rescue System (SRS), like DRASS Galeazzi SRV-650 - flight deck and facilities for UAV - hangar for 1 x AgustaWestland AW101 - Hull, Ice Class I-B+

USSP is a planned

Functions

USSP will be a multipurpose ship, thought to accomplish different missions:^[4]

• Submarine Rescue, through a deployable Submarine Rescue System (SRS), embarked on the stern portion of the weather deck. The ship is also fitted to host, as an alternative, either
  SRDRS
  ; DRASS Galeazzi SRV-650 is expected as SRS
• Diving Support, through an organic saturation system (SAT), located amidships, which includes two hyperbaric chambers (up to 6 persons each), one transfer under pressure (TUP) system, one hyperbaric boat (up to 16 persons), one working bell (300 m beneath the surface), operated through a dedicated moon-pool
• Hydro-Oceanographic activities, by means of specific sensor suite and hardware, including echo-sounder, Doppler log, Sub bottom profiler, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, etc.
• Gruppo Operativo Incursori
  support, by hosting and deploying special forces and relevant equipment.

History

USSP program beginning on 2010 when parliamentary defence commission approved the act "Programma pluriennale di A/R n. SMD 02/2010, relativo all'acquisizione di un'unità navale di supporto subacqueo polivalente di ARS/NAI" (Multi-year program for multi-purpose Submarine support naval unit).
ARS/NAI vessel was fitted for a cost of € (EUR) 125 million, then updated to 300 and, finally, to 434 million Euros.

In June 2021 the contract was awarded to the Mariotti shipyard in Genoa.^[5]

Sensors

• 2 x High Precision Acoustic Positioning
• 1 x Single Beam Echo-Sound
• 3 x Multi Beam Echo-Sound
• 3 x Side Scan Sonars
• 1 x Sub Bottom Profiler
• 1 x Underwater Telephone
• 2 x Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers
• 3 x Current Profilers
• 1 x Wave Buoy
• 1 x Gradiometer
• 1 x Marine Magnetometer
• 1 x Gravimeter System
• 1 x Vibrocorer
• 3 x Grab Samplers
• 1 x Box Corer
• 1 x Corer
• 1 x CTD Sounder
• 1 x Doppler Log
• 1 x Expendable Bathythermograph

Deployable equipment

• 1 x McCann Rescue Chamber
• 1 x Ventilation system for damaged
• 1 x submarine control of depressurization included
• 1 x ADS - Atmospheric diving suit
• 1 x ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle working 3,000 m (9,842 ft 6 in)
• 1 x ROV watching 3,000 m (9,842 ft 6 in)
• 1 x ROV light working 1,000 m (3,280 ft 10 in)
• 1 x
  AUV
  Autonomous Underwater Vehicle 3,000 m (9,842 ft 6 in)

See also

• SRV-300
• COMSUBIN

References

External links

• Ships Marina Militare website