The last remaining Maestrale-class frigate in active service, ITS
Grecale
, was formally retired on 1 April 2025 after more than 42 years of service.
(Italian Navy)
The last remaining ship of the Italian Navy’s Maestrale guided-missile frigate class in active service has been decommissioned, the navy confirmed on 7 April.
ITS
Grecale
(F 571), which is the second of eight ships in the class, was officially retired from service on 1 April, the Italian Navy said.
Built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and entering service between 1982 and 1985, the Maestrale-class frigates were primarily roled for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), while also having anti-air and anti-surface capabilities.
The Italian Navy has been in the process of progressively retiring the class from service since December 2015, starting with the lead ship. Along with the navy’s Lupo-class frigates, the Maestrale vessels are being replaced by the Italian Navy’s new, considerably larger, Bergamini-class FREMM multimission frigates – the ninth and 10th units of which are due to be commissioned in the coming months.
Grecale
was one of four ships in the Maestrale class – together with
Libeccio
(F 572),
Scirocco
(F 573), and
Zeffiro
(F 577) – that were modernised between 2007 and 2010.
Grecale
Looking to read the full article?
Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more…