Last Thursday 5th October @ 1830hrs the Marina Militare Italiana (Italian Navy) Maestrale Class Frigate ITS ZEFFIRO F 577 was decommissioned after 38 years of service at Mar Grande Naval Station of Taranto, with 21 gun salute.
Moored at Augusta Navy Base back to 27th April, 2019.
Launched on 19th May 1984 built by Fincantieri SpA, Riva Trigoso as Hull no 882, she was commissioned on 4th May 1985, which was the last of the eight Maestrale class units delivered to the Navy.During her military deployments she took part in the Persian Gulf 1 and Persian Gulf 2 operations, in the NATO operations carried out near the former Yugoslavia, in the rescue intervention of the cruise ship ACHILLE LAURO and in the countless patrolling and fight against piracy under the aegis of NATO, the EU and the United Nations, demonstrating for years – together with units of the same class.
With her motto as NITOR IN ADVERSUM, she called 5 times at Malta including participation in the Italo-Maltese Military Exercise CANALE. The CANALE exercise was an annual live exercise organised bilaterally between Malta and Italy. It aims to promote cooperation, security and peace in the Mediterranean by conducting naval and air operations involving units from the Maltese and Italian Armed Forces and other invited nations from the Mediterranean.
Berthed at VISET (now Valletta Cruise Port) back to September 1999.
Like all Maestrale Class , they are being replaced by the Bergamini Class Frigates (FREMM)
