Initially this unit (together with its sisters Grenadier, Bersagliere and Artigiliere) was designed and built for the Iraqi navy: on board, in fact, a wooden plaque engraved with some Arabic characters still remembers what was the name originally assigned by the Iraqi authorities: قار ذي (THI QAR), chosen in honor of the homonymous Iraqi province that was the heart of the Sumerian civilization and whose capital is the infamous city of Nassiriya.
After completion, the delivery of the unit was however frozen in adherence to the UN embargo at the time imposed in response to the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980 and protracted until the 1988.
Passed around 10 years during which the unit remained inactive before that, the 04 January 1995, with new name and optical badge and following a series of necessary works of adaptation to the NATO standards, Nave Aviere and was finally delivered to the Navy .
Thus began a long career full of prestigious commitments: Nave Aviere has in fact distinguished itself in numerous important international operations, including "Enduring Freedom", for the fight against terrorism in the Indian Ocean (2002), "Active Endeavor", for the fight against terrorism and illicit trafficking in the Mediterranean Sea (2004 - 2010) and the "UNIFIL" device, a military force for the interposition of the UN in the Eastern Mediterranean (2009).
In the last six months, under the command of the frigate captain Fabio Quattrocchi, Nave Aviere has operated as a flagship of the Second Permanent Group of Countermeasures Mine of NATO (SNMCMG2), with the mission of ensuring the safety and freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean.
As of today, Nave Aviere is the length of the equator but, although it can now be considered a pretty sea lady, its future still remains to be written.
Source: Military Navy
