• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Italian Submarine Todaro Visits Groton

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080821-10
Release Date: 8/21/2008 4:16:00 PM

By Lt. James Stockman, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- The Italian submarine ITS Salvatore Todaro (S 526) arrived at Naval Submarine Base New London Aug. 21 to begin a 14-day visit.

Todaro's deployment is a historic first for the Italian Navy, representing the first-ever trans-Atlantic Italian sub voyage since World War II. It also symbolizes the premier of their long-term project to build a small, but first-rate, submarine fleet capable of regular out-of-area deployments.

"This deployment has given us the chance to develop interoperability between the U.S. and Italian navies," said Lt. Cmdr. Mauro Panebianco, Todaro commanding officer. "We've been able to test our new systems in a different environment from which we normally operate {Mediterranean Sea}."

Todaro recently participated in a Joint Task Force Exercise with Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and visited Naval Stations Mayport and Norfolk.

"The security cooperation partnerships we seek to build require connectivity, interoperability, and a baseline for communicating mutual understanding," said Capt. Robert Burke, commodore, Submarine Developmental Squadron (DEVRON) 12. "Exercising together is the key to significantly broader mutual cooperation with our partner nations."

DEVRON 12 and USS Annapolis (SSN 760) will be sponsoring Todaro and assisting the crew with any issues they may have during their stay. They will also host them at a reception, picnic and soccer game.

"This is a great opportunity for my crew to interact with Sailors from a different Navy," said Cmdr. Michael Brunner, Annapolis commanding officer. "We'll be able to share sea stories and see how different or similar our Navies are."

Before leaving the United States, Todaro will continue to conduct exercises with the U.S. Navy and participate in a Great White Fleet event and Columbus Day celebrations in New York City in October.

Todaro was commissioned on March 29, 2006, and is the first of four submarines in the U212A class of submarines. She is diesel and electric-powered and of medium dimensions, characterized by innovative technologies with consequent high performances, in particular for the enhanced endurance in stealth mode, the low acoustic/magnetic target strength and the advanced sonar and weapons systems.

For more news from Naval Submarine Base New London, visit at www.navy.mil/local/subasenlon/.