USS Enterprise, cruiser scheduled
to drop anchor at Naples Monday
By Keith Boydston,
Naples bureau
NAPLES, Italy — More than 5,000 sailors and Marines will hit the beach in Naples
Monday when the carrier USS Enterprise and cruiser USS Philippine Sea drop anchor for a
weeklong visit.
And Navy officials in Naples want local military residents to know about the potential
onslaught at base facilities.
"Anytime we have a ship come in, especially one as big as the Enterprise,
there’s going to be crowds at our base facilities," said Lt. Fred Kuebler, a
Naples Navy base spokesman. "Especially if people need to exchange money on-base. We
recommend they do it before the ships arrive."
In the meantime, Naples military service organizations are preparing to roll out the
red carpet.
"This is definitely a big visit," said Joseph Walker, director of the United
Services Organization in Naples. "The USO and other organizations are ready to
provide the best support that we can. That’s why we’re here."
"We’re going to provide a wide array of services while they’re
here," added Thomas Wilson, the marketing director for the morale, welfare and
recreation department in Naples. "Whatever they want to do, we’ll try and
accommodate them. We don’t want to say, ‘no’."
Walker and Wilson both said they’re organizing various tours, outings, and
recreational events for the servicemembers during their stay.
The 40-year-old nuclear-powered Enterprise, based in Norfolk, Va., relieved the USS
Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean Sea May 9.
Its 5,500 crewmembers, and the more than 280 sailors on the Mayport, Fla.- based
Philippine Sea, are currently deployed on a six-month tour supporting the U.S. Navy’s
6th Fleet.
In addition to service organizations providing support, base retail facilities are
ready for the port-of-call as well.
"We’re always prepared for a ship’s visit," said Dino Tskonas,
general manager for the Navy Exchange in Naples. "We’re well stocked, and
we’ll adjust our hours and our staff depending on what’s needed by the
ships."
"We just ask that our regular customers exercise a little more patience,"
Tskonas added. "We’re not going to run out of merchandise, but the check-out
lines may be a little longer."
Despite potentially crowded conditions on-base, officials said they’re not
forgetting about local residents.
"I think that most people that live here will understand," Wilson said.
"While we’re here to support everyone, this is a great opportunity for us to
help [sailors and Marines] that are a long way from home."
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