Nave Espero, the last Flag Hauler after 36 years of service in the ranks of the Naval Fleet

(To Marina Militare)
09/07/21

The ceremony of the Last Ammaina Bandiera di Nave took place on 30 June 2021, at the Mar Grande Naval Station in Taranto. I hope, with the simultaneous landing of the combat flag.

The ceremony, presided over by the commander-in-chief of the naval squad, squad admiral Paolo Treu, was attended by local military, civil and religious authorities, combat and weapon associations, local banners, banners and banners and finally the former commanders of the units including, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy, squad admiral Aurelio De Carolis, and the former Chief of Defense staff, squad admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli.

During his speech, the commander-in-chief of the naval team recalled the moments spent on board, as Commander, in 1998, personally thanking part of his old crew, present at the ceremony, and dedicating a thought "in memory of those who belonged to ship Espero, are no longer among us and who from up there I imagine following, with guilty earthly emotion and participation, our choral and affectionate greeting to our beloved ship. A ship that today makes us feel part of a single crew, under a single flag, that flag that, in the presence of our lucid eyes, will soon be lowered, for the last time ".

Seventh of the eight frigates of the class Mistral, Ship I hope was a missile and antisubmarine unit that from 1985 to 2018 played a key role in many major international missions and operations with a total of 675.000 nautical miles traveled, about 31 times the length of the equator.

Also great was the emotion of the commander of the unit, frigate captain Mauro Paolizzi, when the Combat Flag was delivered in the hands of the commander-in-chief of the naval team, to be then permanently deposited at the Shrine of the Flags in Rome, at interior of the Altar of the Fatherland.