Allesandro Farnese was an Italian noble. He became Pope Paul III in 1534 and remained pope until 1549. His gifts to his natural son Pier Luigi Farnese of the duchies of Parma and Piacenza laid the foundation of the wealth and greatness of the Farnese family. Research Alessandro Farnese
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer and architect. He was born in 1891 and died in 1979. He is noted for his pioneering use of reinforced concrete as a decorative material. He co-designed the UNESCO building in Paris. Research Pier Nervi
Al Cliver is an Egyptian actor. He was born in 1951 at Alexandria. He sometimes works under the names Al Clever, Pier Luigi Conti and Pierluigi Conti. Research Al Cliver
A mulberry harbour was an artificial harbour built by the British during the Second World War to allow supplies to be off loaded in Normandy for the invading allied troops in 1944. Two mulberry harbours were constructed in two phases. First sixty block ships were sailed from Britain lined up bow to stern a the required location and scuttled to create a breakwater for the harbour. Next blocks of reinforced concrete were towed by tugs over and assembled into a harbour. After the concrete blocks (caissons) a floating wharf was anchored into position and floating pier heads positioned on the landside of the harbour. Finally, concrete and steel pontoons were connected to join the pier heads with the shore, forming a floating road. Mulberry A erected for the Americans off Omaha beach was destroyed by a stormhalfway through construction, but Mulberry B erected for the British at Arromanches survived storms far more severe than it was designed for and allowed millions of tons of men and supplies to be off loaded during the summer and Autumn of 1944 before it was closed in November 1944. Mulberry B at Arromanches measured two miles wide and one mile deep and took fourteen days to construct. Research Mulberry Harbour
The Pier Capponi was an Italian Mameli Class coastal submarine of 770 tons displacement launched in 1927. The Pier Capponi was powered by two Tosi diesel engines providing a top speed of 17 knots surfaced and electric motors providing a top speed of 9 knots submerged. She carried a complement of 46 and was armed with one 4 inch gun; two 13 mm anti-aircraft guns and six 21 inch torpedo tubes. Research Pier Capponi
The San Giorgio is an Italian San Giorgio class Landing Platform Dock Amphibious Transport Dock ship, launched in 1987. The ship provides roll-on/roll-off landing capability for land embarkation; air lift through the use off high capacity aircraft such as Chinook-type helicopters; and transportation by sea to shore, using the ship's own systems and landing ships for landing on unprepared shores. The ship has hospital and accommodation facilities which provide the capability for peace time rescue and humanitarian operations. The ship is also fitted for transporting logistic equipment, for embarking trailers, containers and other materials. The San Giorgio is equipped for civil defence missions with drinking water production plant to produce 210 tons per day, facilities for the co- ordination of pollution control for decontamination of heavily oil polluted seas and capacity for expansion of the ship's hospital and medical facilities.
The ship's armaments consist of an Otobreda 76/62 main gun, which is installed on the gun deck at the bow of the ship and two Oerlikon 20 mm machine-guns for close defence. The bridge deck is accommodated in the island on the starboard side. The main flight deck which runs almost the length of the ship, has three helicopter landing spots. The ship can accommodate three Sea King SH-3D helicopters or five Agusta Bell AB-212 helicopters. The San Giorgio can lift a battalion of fully equipped troops, with up to 30 medium tanks such as the Leopard, or up to 36 tracked armoured vehicles type VCC-1. The stern floodable dock, measuring 20.5 x 7 metres, can accommodate three LCM (or MTM) landing craft each capable of transporting 30 tons of materiel. While the dock is not in use, a movable cover installed over the dock allows the passage of vehicles through the stern ramp to the pier. Three davits on the main deck are provided for the deployment of three LCVP (or MTP) landing craft and a patrol boat. A 30 ton lift and a two-hook travelling crane, each hook rated to carry 40 tons, are installed on the ship providing the capability of autonomous loading and unloading operations completely independent of harbour facilities.
The San Giorgio is fitted with a bow ramp for missions involving amphibious (beach) landings. The stern door is constructed in two sections, the lower section is the dock gate providing direct access to the floodable dock. The upper section of the stern door is hinged at the level of the vehicle or garage deck and acts as the stern ramp for embarking or disembarking from the pier. The propulsion system provides a maximum continuous speed of 21 knots. At the economical speed of 16 knots the maximum range of the ship is 7500 nautical miles. Research San Giorgio II
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Alessandro Farnese
