On August 24, 2026, the former Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) departed Taranto under a mixed Italian-Indonesian crew bound for Indonesia, where it is scheduled to be commissioned as KRI Gajah Mada on September 25. Italy transferred the retired 14,150-tonne STOVL vessel free of charge to eliminate a €5 million annual inactive maintenance liability and an estimated €18.7 million dismantlement bill. Jakarta accepted the transfer to establish its first carrier-based command and aviation capability, budgeting between €350 million and €818 million for reactivation, structural refit, and technical modernization. Read full defense news at this link...
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| Commissioned on September 30, 1985, the Giuseppe Garibaldi served the Italian Navy for 39 years, operating as a carrier and command ship in Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Libya. (Picture source: Italian Navy archives) |