Naples mayor tells U.S. Navy submarine to keep out

| April 19, 2018

USS John Warner

The Navy Times is reporting since the fast-attack Virginia-class submarine USS John Warner fired six Tomahawk cruise missiles in Friday’s allied airstrikes against Syria, the mayor of Naples, Italy, is demanding the submarine stay far away from his self-designated “nuclear-free” city.

Mayor Luigi de Magistris sent a letter last week to Rear Admiral Arturo Faraone, head of the Naples port authority, complaining about USS John Warner’s presence near his city. The nuclear-powered fast attack submarine passed by the Bay of Naples in late March after a NATO exercise. Within three weeks, the sub was firing missiles into Syria from the eastern Mediterranean.

“The fact that it is the same submarine [involved in the Syria attack] further reinforces the rightness of the order,” de Magistris told Italian news service Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata. “Ships of nuclear propulsion or carrying nuclear weapons are not welcome in the port of Naples and, therefore, they are not allowed to transit or stay.”

In his letter, de Magistris referenced a resolution he passed in 2015 which declared the Port of Naples a “nuclear-free area.” He called Naples a “City of Peace” that respects “the fundamental rights of everyone, convinced of disarmament and international cooperation,” according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The Admiral shares the mayor’s concerns, but states the movement of foreign military units falls under the jurisdiction of the Italian Ministry of Defense. He also noted that the John Warner never actually entered the Naples port, but remained well off shore.

Naples has been a support site for the Navy since the early 1950s. It is home to U.S. Naval Forces Europe and the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

Italy did not participate in the joint American-British-French airstrikes against Syrian chemical weapons sites, although it did provide logistical support from the NATO air base in Aviano. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni supported the strike but didn’t approve attacks launched from Italian soil.

I’m curious to see the response of Napoli citizens the next time a US aircraft carrier doesn’t park in the bay- lose all those sailors and Marines with their US dollars that have helped support the city for generations, not to mention La Cosa Nostra, who wet their beaks from the ensuing windfall. Perhaps someone will make Mayor de Magistris an offer he can’t refuse.

Category: "Teh Stoopid"

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Yef

Well, people have the gruberment they deserve.

desert

Yep just ask musselini!

RM3(SS)

Japan was like that in the early 70’s. We went to Olongapo instead. Much better trade off. 🙂

NHSparky

Concur. Even Guam was 100x better than Yoko.

TF-BA

“SAILORS AND DOGS KEEP OFF THE GRASS” isn’t really a new way of thinking.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

Sailors and dogs keep of the grass, shades of Norfolk Va. years ago

Tallywhagger

I wonder what the general population of Naples thinks about their jackass mayor.

I lived in Takoma Park, MD while stationed at WRAMC. The mayor decided that Takoma Park would become a Nuclear Free Zone! Haha, I think his name was Sammie Abbott. What a fun place it was to live.

Don’t remember if Washington Adventist hospital did any nuclear medicine, or not. They probably did but made sure that Sammy never found out.

HMC Ret

They did, Tallywhagger. Just about any medical facility today that is larger than a doc-in-the-box ha nuc med, CT, mammo, etc. Too much competition today to not offer those services. I moonlighted 72-77 at Washington Hospital Center as a nuc med tech. Miss doing that. Retired now for several years.

Tallywhagger

We were there at the same time. I had an apartment on Flower Avenue. DC was still a fun place to be, in those days.

Did you know any of the guys at AFIP? Talk about some intelligent people, that place had an amazing staff.

Bim

Funny how time changes. The good Mayor’s “city of peace” exists only by will and sacrifice of the good men and women that he now repels. The same folks that would willingly put themselves in harm’s way again for his town , should the need arise. Angry
Bim is angry.

David

City off limits, no passes for a week, no local spending… within a week the locals will lynch the mayor.

A Proud Infidel®™️

^^^^THIS^^^^

HMCS(FMF) ret

Or the guys with La Cosa Nostra will be having “a long talk” with His Honor…

Atkron

In Naples it is the Cammora…

Sparks

Dear Mayor,

Do you recall from your history lessons, why you are not speaking German now?

I do. It was because of the freedom you reacquired after WWII, paid for in American blood and lives.

Just don’t be French Mayor. There’s enough snobs with no right to be so, in the world as it is.

Hope your wine turns sour and your cheese molds from the inside out.

The Other Whitey

He would happily goose-step for ol’ Il Duce!

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

I am calling for a global boycott of pizza, Italiano vino, Vespas, Mazaraties, Jersey Shore re-runs and Mafia films!

David

Other than pizza…who would notice?

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

getting hungry thinking of NY pizza. Think I’ll get a slice, sit down and listen to Norman Fox and the Robroys from the Bronx singing Pizza Pie.

Ex-PH2

Hey, Luigi! Sei davvero questo stupido, o il tua mammina ti ha fatta cadere di testa quando eri un neonato? Solo cerco di capire? Eri nato deficiente o è semplicemente naturale con te?

Well, there goes HIS bread and butter this week.

Animal

Naples sucked as a liberty port. The Navy will have no problems talking all of those Marines and Sailors into spending more time in somewhere like Corfu. Corfu was the shit.

Open Channel D

Ain’t that the truth. Best liberty port outside Split, Croatia.

Mason

Since my grandpa took a knee full of shrapnel from a German gun freeing his country from the Nazis, I say the mayor of Naples can go F himself. The reason we have military bases there (and in Japan and Germany) isn’t because they allow it, it’s because we allowed them to have their country back.

The Other Whitey

My Grandpa had a ship sunk under him in Naples harbor in 1943. He was there again on a new ship when Vesuvius erupted in 1944.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

TOW; When I was at Brink’s, we had the late Victor Rucco whom was in the Italian Merchant Marine during WW2 and was torpedoed twice on two different ships. After that a lot of bad luck and we used to hear the stories he told us that were hysterical while we were participating at shooting matches and laughed our asses off. Sometimes hard to keep the sights on the target when X shooting.

OldCorpsTanker72

The USS Raleigh (LPD-1) got kicked out of St. Tropez in 1974. But I think we earned that one. (The Captain was not amused. And for some unknown reason, he blamed the Marines. Go figure.)

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

We used to operated with the Raleigh as part of Comphibron eight.

NHSparky

Fuck it. I can think of a dozen places better than Naples, and that’s just the Med.

A Proud Infidel®™️

The Mayor of Naples?

Fuck. Him.

The Other Whitey

Vaffanculo, figlio di puttana!

Roger in Republic

In the spirit of Farragut and Dewey the USS Warner should stand off shore and shell the city center. That’s the way the US navy once showed the flag. And it worked too.

Valerie

Apparently, the moron mayor has too many leftist twats in his administration.

26Limabeans

Yo Luigi. Remember Foggia and all those B-17’s that saved your country from the Nazis?
Didn’t think so. Ask you grandparents.

Yef

I just dropped a nuclear bomb in the toilet. I hope the radiation cloud cannot be smelled by the 1SG’s office. Am I still allowed to visit Naples?

A Proud Infidel®™️

For the love of your remaining brain cells, STOP eating the daisies and huffing the floor wax, Yef!

JTB

Is this guy Italy’s version of Jerry Brown…???

UpNorth

😂
No doubt,he is.

desert

LOL!!

2/17 Air Cav

Luigi needs to spend more time on traffic issues in his city, something, unlike the subject matter of his letter, he has some say-so about.

Mason

That’s mesmerizing. Like watching a lava lamp.

I was shocked that the buses just push on through and then bam! Here comes the light rail train! Who designed this shit?

2/17 Air Cav

Who is the designer?

“It’s-a me, Mario!”

ElJefe

I was on an extended TAD to ‘bella Napoli’ 10 years ago. Driving there gave me my first gray hairs!

JURRASSICHM

Naples is a dirty, rat infested, crime ridden, and corrupt city that the rest of Italy makes fun of. Most of the people I knew were very friendly and the food was great. Other than that, the place sucked.

JTB

Some friends of mine went and said it smelled awful…

AZtoVA

“He also noted that the John Warner never actually entered the Naples port, but remained well off shore.”

So, just another Eurotwit grandstanding for face time in the Media?

Green Thumb

Maybe we should just move the base?

DocV

What a shame. They’ll never meet Fat Mary.

Peter the Bubblehead

Nuclear-powered submarines can only pull into ports with specifically designated Nuclear berths.

Naples does not (to my knowledge, admittedly it’s been over 10 years since I prepared a chart) have any nuclear-designated berths.

Big whoop! It’s like a city without an airport banning 747’s from landing in their city! All bluster, no facts in evidence.

The closest nuclear subs could moor to Naples USED to be La Maddalena, but the US gave up usage of that NATO base half a decade ago.

NHSparky

I’d gladly go port and starboard to anchor off Palma de Majorca.

OldCorpsTanker72

Is Texas Pete’s Chili Parlor still operating there? Best steak and spaghetti I ever had.

Atkron

So 6th Fleet needs shut the gates on NSA Naples. Nobody really likes the Naples port visit anyways. If Alexandria is the Asshole of the Med, most certainly Naples is the armpit.

This is probably pandering to the sub-saharan and North African ‘Immigrant’ muslim population that has invaded the area.

I mean, they wouldn’t want their beautiful city trashed. /sarc

IDC SARC

Best thing about Naples was the train station and being in Rome 3 hours later. I’ve been there 8 times and always had a blast.

Jeff LPH 3, 63-66

The Navy built a large pier in Staten Island NY as a homeport for a battle group, but as I remember, the people found out that some of the ships would have nukes onboard so the homeport was scrapped and the Navy went down the coast to a city that welcomed them which was awhile ago and I don’t remember where. We used to pass by the defunct base as we headed over to the ferry terminal and re supply the ATM machines. So they lost out on a lot of revenue but then again, that is the liberal way of thinking.

Peter the Bubblehead

I can neither confirm nor deny that any US Navy Battle Group carries special weapons.

IDC SARC

Yeah me neither…even though I went to a Nuclear Incident Response School and was the Designated Response Corpsman on station at various times for reasons I cannot confirm or deny. 🙂

A Proud Infidel®™️

Liberals are ALL about doing touchie-feelie-do-gooder junk, playing up to the emotions of the alleged crisis du jour, doing all they can to control others, and that’s pretty much it. I’m sure the local moonbats there wanted to keep the local economy suppressed so they could keep as many locals as they could on Government support.