SEVASTOPOL, January 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black
Sea Fleet flagship the guided-missile cruiser Moskva and
Italy's destroyer the Andrea Doria held one-day drills in the
Ionian Sea in the Strait of Messina on Friday, the Black Sea
Fleet said.
On Thursday all details of the joint exercises were
coordinated on board the Russian cruiser.
"The ships practiced elements of joint maneuvering,
signaling, communications and joint actions on detecting
surface targets. Ship-based helicopters from the two vessels
were used in the exercises," the fleet press service said.
The Russian cruiser's three-day unofficial visit to
Messina port that ended today was timed to coincide with the
100th anniversary of the Messina earthquake and Russia's
participation in the international relief efforts.
The Messina quake with an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on
the Richter scale was followed by a tsunami that struck many
coastal cities with 40-foot (12-meter) waves, causing more
destruction. The earthquake and tsunami killed two-thirds of
the city's then-150,000 population.
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