Emergency interventions for the divers of the Italian Navy

(To Marina Militare)
21/02/19

In recent days, the divers of the Underwater Operative Group (GOS) of the Underwater Command and Incursori of the Navy (COMSUBIN) have carried out two delicate reclamation operations in the waters in front of the Sicilian coasts, respectively in Trapani and Gela.

The most demanding intervention carried out by the Navy divers seconded to the SDAI Nucleus (Demining Defense Antimezzi Insidiosi) of Augusta, was that on a moored "type II" naval mine, of Italian manufacture, which was presumably part of a minefield located in defense of the port of Trapani during the Second World War. The mine, lying on the bottom but still fully functional despite the decades spent at sea, was a serious danger for navigation. For its neutralization, it was necessary to lift the bomb from the bottom through the use of a particular net suitable for the transport of the "impact" mines and, subsequently, to transfer it to a safe area, where the divers of the GOS have done so. shine by destroying it.

In addition to the mine in Trapani, 7 bullets from 105 mm American and 400 ammunition of portable weapons, all dating back to the Second World War, were recovered and neutralized near Gela XNUMX.

The emergency interventions of the Navy Specialists, whose activity was requested by the competent prefectures of Caltanissetta and Trapani, took place thanks to the reporting of private citizens of Gela and following the discovery carried out by the Alghero minesweeper of the Navy in the context of a specialized activity of control of the seabed of Trapani. 

All the bombs have been removed from the bottom, brought to the area identified by local Maritime Authorities that have also ensured the safety environment for reclamation operations, and neutralized by the GOS men through the consolidated procedures that aim above all to protect the marine ecosystem.