Augusta Naval Base (Arsenale Militare Marittimo di Augusta)

Augusta is one of the three active arsenals of the Italian Navy, with La Spezia and Taranto. It occupies the port of Augusta, on the east coast of Sicily in the free municipal consortium of Siracusa, and is a support point for NATO naval units.

The base is the seat of MARISICILIA, the Sicily maritime military command, which moved there from Messina from 1 November 2002, and the headquarters and operating base of COMFORPAT, the command of patrol forces for coastal surveillance and defence. COMFORPAT is made up of three squadron commands: COMSQUACORV, the corvette squadron command, COMSQUAPAT1, which groups the Cassiopea-class patrol vessels, and COMSQUAPAT2, which groups the Comandanti-class patrol vessels and their Sirio-class derivatives. The departmental units of MARISICILIA are also based at Augusta. Since a Ministry of Defence decree of 20 January 1998 the arsenal has been classified as an establishment dependent on the navy's Naval Support Inspectorate.

The installations, quays and barracks built from 1934 onwards remain in use, together with facilities near the railway station.

Augusta served the Regia Marina as a coaling station from 1896 and became a full naval base in the mid-1930s, when it was developed as a forward position in the Mediterranean. It was heavily damaged by Allied bombing in May 1943 and resumed activity in 1944, then regained its role under NATO's Cold War emphasis on the Sicilian Channel. MARINARSEN Augusta was created on 1 July 1962, at first as a detached section of MARINARSEN Messina. The base received the corvette squadron command in 1970 and a submarine group in 1971. The arsenal became autonomous on 24 June 1987.