On Tuesday 31st May, Major General De Carlo paid an introductory visit to the subordinate Anti-Submarine Stormo. During the visit to Sigonella, the Inspector of Naval Aviation, after signing the Guest Book, attended a briefing on the Stormo's activities and subsequently toured its main facilities and those of the foreign detachments deployed at the air base as part of NATO Operation ”Unified Protector”. The visit concluded in the afternoon with the presentation of the unit badge by Colonel Tonello.
Maritime Aviation, whose Inspector's Office is hierarchically superior to the 41st Wing, has the task of conducting anti-submarine air operations and supporting surface Naval Forces, using maritime patrol aircraft assigned to the Flight Units. It is made up of the complex of aircraft and crews, equipment, infrastructure and ground technical personnel required to meet specific needs. In 1957, the founding act of Anti-Submarine Aviation was issued, which provided, at the central level, for the Office of the Inspector of Maritime Aviation headed by a General Officer of the Air Force. This is a special organisation which, due to its specific activities, has a dual chain of command: to the Navy and to the Air Force. The anti-submarine aircraft depend for their operational employment on the Italian Navy, which evaluates and determines all missions that can be assigned to them, while technical-logistical activities and technical-professional training are the responsibility of the Italian Air Force.
