This map illustrates the relative placement of the stations in the Rome demonstration chain. Click to enlarge. (Extracted from a Decca Navigator pamphlet)  Brian Kenny formerly of The Decca Navigator Co., remembers the NATO trials of the system aboard the FIAT G91, single pilot  fighter aircraft. The Master slave was located  between Rome and Naples and was set up on the beach almost the same way ut was in New Guinea, but without the parrots and the mosquitoes".

As reported in the November 1969 issue of Decca Navigator News, a low power Decca demonstration chain was set up in the small but important fishing port of Mazara del Vallo, located on the southwestern tip of Sicily. Demonstrations of the system commenced during the Easter holiday period of 1969.

Over 180 large trawlers were berthed here while the fishermen took their traditional leave during the Easter religious festivities. The Decca chain was specially set up to provide coverage of the Mazara coastal area. Marine demonstrations took place aboard M.Y. NAVIGATOR, Decca's demonstration vessel and a Huey helicopter made available by the Italian Air Force. The intent was to demonstrate the value of the system to the Carabinieri and Air Force authorities.
 

This "Huey" from the Italian Air Force was used in the Decca demonstration. (Photo courtesy Decca Navigator Company)

Sicily was an area where particular benefit could be obtained from the Decca system The old progressive fishing fleet, mainly trawlers operating in the Sicilian Channel and off the North African coast from Cap Bon area to Tripoli, could derive the same economic benefits as do their counterparts in other major fishing countries of the world. The systems would help solve the problems associated with the fishing limits in existence off the Tunsian coast.

Over 150 guests visited M.V. NAVIGATOR during these demonstrations and saw Decca equipment being used under practical conditions and featuring the many roles of the system . A new film, "National Assets" was shown prior to each demonstration outlying the many roles of the system.

Among the guests were General M. Battaglien, Chief Inspector of Italian Harbours; Dr. S. Paroletti and Dr. A Murzi from the Directorate of Fishing, Dr. M. Jandoli , Secretary of the National Fishing Federation all from Rome. Sicilian guests included Colonel C. della Chiesa, Chief of the Sicilian Carabinieri., Sicilian Harbour Authorities, Fishing Association representatives and fishing skippers from Mazara, Trapani and Marsala.

As a result of the Easter demonstration of the Decca Navigator system at Mazara del Vallo and the increasing interest of Italian fishermen, a visit to Denmark  for the express purpose of investigating the applications of the system for Sicilian fishing was sponsored by the the United Chambers of Commerce for Sicily and took place between September 8 and 14th , 1969.

Practical trawling using the Navigator system was demonstrated in the Danish trawler NORD TEX . The party inspected Decca Navigator installations in fishing vessels in the ports of North Denmark and discussed in detail, the use of the system with Danish fishermen. In 1969, there were approximately 1,800 Decca Navigator installations in fishing vessels in Denmark.

The party returned to Italy convinced of the need for a system but nothing further developed from it.

A group alongside the trawler Nord Tex. (Photo courtesy Decca Navigator Company)

General location of the Sicily demo chain. The locations of the master, red and green slaves is not known at this time     (Image courtesy Google Maps)

Mazara, Marsala and Trapani are locations mentioned in the DNN article. (Image courtesy Google Maps)

This lattice chart, which was the cover for the 1969 DNN article on Decca Sicily, is a negative rendering of the original.  The chart suggests it was just a red/green chain. One of the slaves may have been located near Campobello di Mazara. (Decca Navigator Company image).

Contributors and Credits:

1) Santiago Insua <hwasp(a)hotmail.com>
2)  Walter Blanchard <wblanch(at)ntlworld.com>

May 24/08