Warships depart with aircraft & vehicles on deck for huge NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 🇮🇹 🇬🇧

The aircraft carrier ’ITS Garibaldi’ gets underway with helicopters on deck, shortly followed by the assault ship ’ITS San Giorgio’ transporting 30-odd vehicles. Both warships were outbound from HMNB Portsmouth, UK and are en route to Northern Europe for major NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender. The ITS Garibaldi, officially named Giuseppe Garibaldi, is an aircraft-carrying cruiser that would originally carry AV-8B Harrier II fighter/bombers, or other Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft including helicopters, such as the Merlins seen in the video. The ship operates as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) carrier and is due for replacement soon, having been laid down in 1981. The ITS San Giorgio (L9892), first in it’s class to be laid down in 1985, is one of three Amphibious Transport Docks with the Italian Navy, designed to transport vehicles, landing craft and helicopters for an amphibious assault. The San Marco Marine Brigade, the naval infantry fighting force of th