Naval Air Station Sigonella

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Naval Air Station Sigonella
NATO Base Sigonella

IATA: NSY – ICAO: LICZ
Summary
Airport type Naval Air Station
Operator United States Navy
Location Sicily, Italy
Built June 15, 1959
In use Active
Commander Captain Thomas J. Quinn
Elevation AMSL 79 ft / 24 m
Coordinates 37°24′06″N, 14°55′20″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10R/28L 8,077 2,462 Asphalt
10L/28R 8,012 2,442 Asphalt


Naval Air Station Sigonella (IATA: NSY, ICAO: LICZ), the "The Hub of the Med", is a U.S. Navy installation at NATO Base Sigonella, an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. Although a tenant of the Italian Air Force, NAS Sigonella acts as landlord to more than 40 other U.S. commands and activities. It is located 16 km (10 miles) west of the city of Catania and 24 km (15 miles) south of Mount Etna. Because of its location near the center of the Mediterranean Sea, NASSIG is well-placed to support operations by the U.S. 6th Fleet, other U.S. military units, and U.S. allies and coalition partners. The base comprises two sections: NAS I was the site of the original U.S. base but is now a support facility and NAS II which includes the runways, operations and most tenant commands. NAS I also contains the Navy Exchange and Commissary, the school, and some homes, mainly for commanders of the squadrons. NAS I also is host to other facilities, mainly for entertainment. NAS II is now only used as a service base. In addition, there are two base housing sites. The original housing development, Mineo is located approximately 30-35 minutes from NAS II and 40-45 minutes from NAS I. The newest housing area is named Marinai, located 2 minutes from NAS II and approximately 10-15 minutes form NAS I. Marinai flooded in December 2005 displacing many families temporarily.

Among the aircraft that fly from this island base are U.S. Air Force airlifters, tankers and U.S. Navy P-3 Orions. It is one of the most frequently used stops for U.S. airlifters bound from the continental United States to Southwest Asia and the Indian Ocean.

NAS Sigonella has the best claim to be hub of U.S. naval air operations in the Med. The base command is landlord to more than 40 other U.S. units. Among the largest are a rotating P-3 patrol squadron; a Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station; and a U.S. Naval Hospital. It is home to more than 4,000 troops, civilian personnel, and family members.

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[edit] History

The United States Naval Air Facility (NAF), Sigonella, was established June 15, 1959; its first commanding officer was Capt. Walter J. Frazier. The facility was conceived in the early 1950s, when plans to base U.S. Navy P-2V Neptunes at Hal Far, Malta, began to outgrow the facility.

When there was no room for expansion at Malta, the Navy got NATO backing to use Sicily. Italy made land available under a temporary agreement signed June 25, 1957. Six days later, landing ship tank (LSTs) began to deliver equipment from the Malta base.

Ground was broken in September, and construction on the administrative area at NAF I was started in 1958. The first Americans arrived for work at Sigonella in March 1959 -- six months before any buildings were ready -- and so worked for six months in Catania at a large warehouse complex called Magazzino Generale (General Warehouse), which is opposite the cemetery on the right side of the street as one enters Catania from the base.

By the end of August 1959, the NAF II airfield was available for daylight flights under visual flight rules (VFR); 24 flights were logged by Aug. 31.

One of Sigonella's first buildings was what is now the American Forces Network (AFN) building. In 1958, that building was Sigonella's vector (pest) control center, where rat poison was stored. The Army Corps of Engineers next used the building for their offices, later sharing it with Special Services, or what is now called Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR). Around 1966, AFN came to Sigonella and joined Special Services, which soon moved out, leaving the building to the broadcasters.

Sigonella's first flood occurred mid-September 1959. The Dittaino Bridge between NAF I and NAF II was under six feet of water Sept. 20. All traffic had to go through Catania. Power outages accompanied the floods.

In the 1980s, Sigonella was designated a Naval Air Station.

On April 1, 2004, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) opened Defense Depot Sigonella Italy on NAS II to serve as a supply base for the Mediterranean. DLA also provides fuel and property disposal from NAS II.

Sigonella suffered its second major flood mid December 2005. Over 400 service members and family evacuated. In 2006, a newly installed protective berm prevented a nearly second consecutive year of flooding.

NAS Sigonella is the Navys second largest security command, Second to Bahrain.

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