Ends the operational use of Duilio ship in Air Defense and patrol activities under NATO aegis
After 84 days of off-site activities in the Baltic Sea, the ship Caio Duilio returned to La Spezia on August 2nd. The Navy’s Horizon class destroyer returns to its headquarters, at the First Naval Division, at the end of the deployment in Northern Europe, included in Task Group 441.01, the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, currently deployed in the waters of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
During the stay in Northern Europe, there were numerous opportunities for interaction with other NATO naval assets and aircraft operating in the area: maneuvers in formation, refueling at sea with the refueler French Somme and the American Joshua Humpheries, up to crew exchanges that allowed part of the embarked personnel to live a few hours on board the frigates Van Amstel (Dutch) and Meklenburg-Vorpommern (German) belonging to the same naval group in which The ship was inserted.
In addition, the Duilio ship has touched the ports of several coastal states, mooring in the cities of Gdynia and Swinoujscie (Poland), Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Rostock (Germany), thus contributing to the strengthening of relations with our country through naval diplomacy and international cooperation. The Civil and Military Authorities Unit of the various port States were visited by the German President Emeritus Joachim Gauck, the Italian Ambassadors to Poland and Lithuania and the Inspector of the German Navy.
After leaving the Baltic Sea and crossing the Kiel Canal entirely at night, the Unit then continued through the North Sea and the English Channel, reaching the Atlantic Ocean, where it refueled with the Greek supply ship Prometheus, currently engaged in the summer campaign of its cadets. Duilio ship then crossed the Pillars of Hercules again, returning to the Mediterranean and reaching the city of La Spezia on the evening of August 2nd. Meanwhile, the arrival in the Baltic Sea of Marceglia, the last of the FREMM (European Multi Mission Frigate) to have been launched, will guarantee the continuation of the operational commitment of the Navy in Northern Europe.
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