On 2 October, at the Giovannini dock of MARICODRAG in La Spezia, the last flag of Nave Mitilo was held in the presence of the commander in chief of the naval team, after more than 60 years of honorable activity.
The ceremony took place in a solemn form, in the presence of the main local military authorities, the former unit commanders, the representatives of the units based in La Spezia and the contribution of the crews of all naval units of the class Lobster.
For the occasion, the commander in chief of the naval team, Admiral Donato Marzano, wanted to thank the crews by making them aware of the daily, silent but precious activity carried out over the decades by these units.
The class Lobster he contributed in the postwar period to create the conditions for the reconstruction of the nation, actively participating in the demining operations of the national coasts carried out during the fifties and sixties.
In 1985, together with four other sister units, Nave Mussel was chosen to be transformed into an auxiliary training ship with the task of teaching the ship's officers the art of going to sea, an activity carried out, thanks to its crews, with passion and dedication, with the awareness of carrying out an important task in the training of the commanders of tomorrow.
On this occasion, the vessel lieutenant Daniele Pinto, the last commander of Nave Mussel wanted to pay homage "all the men and women who made this small unit great". After the military honors and the reading of the disarmament device, in the presence of the ship's crew Mussel the flag was lowered, not without emotion, for the last time.
With the disposal of ship Mussel the process of downsizing the Navy fleet continues. The unit will now be delivered to the history of the Navy by placing itself alongside other ships already decommissioned and in the process of being decommissioned such as the frigates Mistral e Aliseo, the corvettes Minerva, Sibilla, Danaide, Urania, the deep patrol sailors Grenadier e Gunner and hunters Lerici e Sapri.
