La Maddalena says goodbye to base after 35-year U.S. Navy presence on Sardinia

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Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Donaldson of the Naval Forces Europe-6th Fleet Band plays Friday during the base closure ceremony of Naval Support Activity La Maddalena, on the Italian island of Sardinia.


La Maddalena says goodbye to base after 35-year U.S. Navy presence on Sardinia
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, January 27, 2008

LA MADDALENA, Italy — With a few words, Capt. Gregory Billy brought an end to more than three decades of U.S. Navy presence on the tiny and pristine island in the archipelago in northern Sardinia.

“NSA La Maddalena is disestablished,” he announced.

The Italian and U.S. flags then were lowered for the last time at this aging naval base set up 35 years ago during the Cold War to fight the former Soviet Union. It has been home to six U.S. ships and thousands of sailors and their families.

Its contentious history is juxtaposed sharply against the breathtaking surroundings that made Friday’s closure ceremony bitter for Navy personnel, who often thought of a tour of duty here as a posh assignment.

The strategically located base was set up by secret accord between U.S. and Italian officials, without the blessing of the Italian Parliament. It served as a logistical and technical hub for submarines transiting the Mediterranean Sea and on the hunt against the Soviets.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51962