After months of speculation and planning, Indonesia has taken possession of the Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi carrier—and put it into service as the KRI Sriwijaya.

Indonesia took delivery of its second-hand aircraft carrier earlier this month, the former Marina Militare (Italian Navy) flagship ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C551)—named for the famed 19th-century Italian patriot, who contributed to the unification of Italy. The conventionally powered flattop was officially renamed at a ceremony on Thursday, with the Italian tricolor (green/white/red) flag lowered and the red-and-white flag of Indonesia raised. The vessel was recommissioned as the KRI Sriwijaya (100).

The carrier now honors the ancient Sriwijaya (also spelled the Srivijaya Empire), a powerful maritime kingdom that controlled much of the Indonesian archipelago and was the dominant sea power in Southeast Asia from the 7th to 13th centuries.

“The ship, which previously served in the Italian Navy, now bears the name KRI Sriwijaya, flying the red-and-white flag as a symbol of sovereignty and service to Indonesia,” Indonesian Navy spokesperson Tunggul (who uses one name) said in a statement to the Associated Press.

The KRI SriwijayaAircraft Carrier: Old, but Still Capable

• Year Commissioned: 1985 (as Giuseppe Garibaldi)
• Length: 180.2 m (591 ft)
• Beam: 33.4 m (110 ft)
• Displacement: 14,150 tons
• Propulsion: COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) system with 4 FiatAvio LM2500 gas turbines generating 81,000 horsepower, powering two shafts.
• Maximum Speed: 30 knots (34.5 mph, 55.56 km/h)
• Range: 7,000 nmi (8,055 mi, 12,964 km)
• Aircraft Capacity: Hangar and flight deck can accommodate up to 18 aircraft
• Armament: Surface-to-air missile launchers (Sea Sparrow/Aspide), triple torpedo tubes, and Oto Melara 40mm DARDO CIWS guns
• Complement: ~400

The 41-year-old light aircraft carrier was first commissioned by the Italian Navy in 1985, and it saw nearly 40 years of service until it was retired in 2024. Rome donated the warship to Jakarta as part of its broader partnership with Indonesia, which could also include the sale of submarines and aircraft.

The former Italian Navy flagship arrived in the Southeast Asian maritime nation last week after a 25-day-long journey, which saw it transit the Suez Canal and the Red Sea before crossing the Indian Ocean.

As the KRI Sriwijaya, the carrier’s air wing will consist entirely of between 10 and 18 rotary-wing aircraft, as Indonesia does not currently have carrier-capable fixed-wing aircraft. The Indonesian Navy will employ the warship as a mobile command and support hub, able to launch drones and helicopters in maritime operations throughout the archipelago.

Although that could include combat missions, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has indicated the flattop’s primary role will be to fight the forest and peatland fires that have increasingly become an issue in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia is the second country in Southeast Asia with an aircraft carrier, following Thailand’s HTMS Chakri Naruebet, which entered service with the Royal Thai Navy in 1997. Unlike the Sriwijaya, the Chakri Naruebet was an original purchase for Thailand, though the carrier was built in Spain.

As the carrier won’t operate with fixed-wing fighters, it will need a smaller crew than the Garibaldi had. Approximately 100 of the 400 sailors assigned to the warship have begun initial training.

The “Free” Aircraft Carrier Will Cost Indonesia a Fortune

Though Italy gave the aircraft carrier to Indonesia for free, it benefited in a sense, as it saved the cost of decommissioning the vessel. Indonesia is currently incapable of building such a warship from scratch, so the donated carrier was a welcome gift.

And the new Sriwijaya could prove to be quite a costly free gift. Refurbishing, refitting, and equipping the vessel to Indonesia’s standards is likely to cost Jakarta some 16 trillion rupiah ($900 million), more than it has currently allocated for the project. The Indonesian Finance Ministry originally approved $450 million in financing for the initial program, but the costs have gone up and now include an additional $250 million for heavy transport helicopters and hundreds of millions more for utility helicopters and Turkish Bayraktar TB3 naval drones.

Critics have expressed concern that the conversion costs account for a massive portion of Indonesia’s annual naval budget—particularly as the extended operational service life for the carrier may be no more than 15 to 20 years. (It is worth recalling that the Garibaldi first entered service in 1985, and is now in its fifth decade of naval service, raising questions about how much longer it can last.) Once the Sriwijaya is retired, Jakarta will also be left having to shoulder the recycling costs.

Hopefully Indonesia will have better luck with its second-hand carrier than Brazil did with its former flagship São Paulo (A-12). Formerly the French Marine Nationale (Navy) Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier Foch, the aging carrier was sold to Brazil for $12 million in 2000, but spent very little time at sea. It was plagued by severe mechanical problems, including failing systems and a catastrophic engine room fire in 2005 that accelerated its decline. 

After more than a decade of inactivity, the São Paulo was decommissioned in 2018. While there were efforts to turn it into a naval history museum, the Brazilian Navy opted to sell it to a Turkish recycling company for scrap. However, environmental concerns—including that the carrier may have been filled with toxic materials—meant it could not transit through the Mediterranean. With few other options, and unable to deliver the warship to the Turks, the Brazilian Navy towed it to the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean and scuttled it in February 2023.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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