The yacht Destriero, symbol of excellence in the Italian boating industry, will be demolished, as confirmed by sources close to the shipyard. This news is truly unbelievable considering that the ceremony celebrating its thirtieth anniversary took place just two years ago. An important ceremony held in La Spezia, right where Destriero was originally built, at the Muggiano shipyard.
“It was a touching ceremony – recalls Ivan Drogo Inglese, President of the Stati Generali del Patrimonio Italiano and organizer of the event along with the Fondazione Fincantieri – The event saw the participation of Fincantieri’s President, General Claudio Graziano, pilot Cesare Fiorio, Undersecretary Stefania Pucciarelli, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Secretary Edoardo Recchi, and of course, the crew members and their families “.
After the international limelight and an initial idea, immediately abandoned, to transform the record-breaking vessel into a yacht, Destriero ended up in Bremen, at the Lürssen shipyards where it was dry-docked, stripped of its turbines, and left exposed to the relentless effects of time. The costly yet lightweight aluminum construction had gradually deteriorated, resulting in significant hull breaches, despite the Aga Khan administration consistently covering the expensive mooring costs of the vessel.
Destriero’s feat also laid the groundwork for the development of the fast cruise ship segment, a very important sector from which Fincantieri itself has greatly benefited until today. It was precisely because of this “debt of honor” that Drogo Inglese had tried to involve the Italian group in a possible restoration, aimed at enhancing this important vessel. One of the plausible hypotheses would have been to place Destriero on the waterfront of the port of La Spezia, near the naval design educational center of the University of Genoa.
“I morally committed with several individuals to the possible recovery of the Destriero – sadly recounts Drogo Inglese – With Donald Blount, shortly before he passed away, the American engineer who designed the hull, with my friend Paolo Pininfarina, as it was Pininfarina who drew its aerodynamic lines, but also with Cesare Fiorio, who over time became a dear friend of mine. With the demolition of the Destriero, one of the most glorious symbols of Italian yachting disappears. Its story will thus remain one of a won challenge, an unfulfilled debt of honor, and a broken promise”.
Destriero: the feat and the victory of the “Blue Ribbon”
Destriero was designed by the naval architecture studio Donald L. Blount and Associates and was equipped with three General Electric LM1600 gas turbines capable of generating an impressive total power of 51,675 hp (38,534 kW). These turbines, connected to three waterjets, could propel this super-fast superyacht to speeds close to 70 knots, or almost 130 km/h.
Measuring an impressive 67.7 meters in length and 13 meters in width, Destriero boasted a range of over 3,000 nautical miles. What still astonishes to this day is its ability to navigate at stellar speeds, even in rough sea conditions. The renowned institution Det Norske Veritas had certified the vessel’s structure for speeds up to 65 knots in sea state 4 conditions, with waves up to 2.5 meters high, and for speeds up to 30 knots in waves up to 5 meters high!
Built by Fincantieri in just 270 days, a record within the record, Destriero benefited from aerodynamics studied, even using wind tunnel testing, by Pininfarina. The bow accommodated the impressive fuel tanks, totaling 800 tonnes, while the crew of 16 members were allocated only 6 bunks, which, of course, were occupied in shifts.
On August 6, 1982, at 18:59 Greenwich time, Destriero departed from the Ambrose Light in New York, and after an incredible journey of 3,106 miles, at 06:14:50, precisely 2 days, 10 hours, 34 minutes, and 50 seconds later, it crossed the imaginary finish line, set at the Bishop Rock Lighthouse in England, earning the Blue Ribbon and beating the previous record by 21.5 hours.
The average speed of the crossing remains impressive to this day, at 53.09 knots (98.3 km/h), with a record average distance covered in 24 hours of 1,402 nautical miles, traveled at an incredible speed of 58.4 knots.
The crew of Destriero consisted of Cesare Fiorio (responsible and organizer), Odoardo Mancini (captain), Aldo Benedetti (second in command), Sergio Simeone (first officer), Franco De Mei (telecommunications), Giuseppe Carbonaro (chief engineer), Mario Gando and Nello Andreoli (chief mechanics), Massimo Robino (electrician), Silvano Federici, Cesare Quondamatteo, and Carlo Chiara (engineers), and technicians Davide Maccario, Giacomo Petriccione, Giuseppe Valenti, and Michael Hurrle.
