European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Byj. Kin Cruger Mediterranean bureaus Wenty six . Coast guardsmen arc on duly in the med marooned on an 8 Square mile Lump of Rock called Lampedusa. About two weeks alter i arrived i walked out and sat on a Rock and looked around and said what the hell am i doing Here that was nearly two months ago. And i still Don t know said chief warrant officer 2 Vernon Mcgee 55. The coast guard operates a Long Range Aid to navigation Loran station on Lampedusa an italian Island Between Malta and Tunisia. Ships use Loran to find their position by tuning in radio signals irom several Sites. Seamen everywhere use it irom . Naval vessels to merchant mariners and fishermen of All nations. Lampedusa is Italy s southernmost land mass much closer to North Africa about 00 Miles away than to Sicily 120 Miles to the Northeast. In Many a world Atlas the Liny Island is on the same Page As Tunisia and Libya. In april 19b6, Libya unsuccessfully tried to hit the silo with missiles in reprisal for . Bombing raids on that country. In August 1986, the Stalion officially became a nato base the Only one operated by the . Coast guard. Ironically the station originally was located at Maratin Libya until the regime of Moa mar Qadhafi expelled All american forces in 1970. The Island is Little More than a hunk of Limestone and Sandstone 6% Miles Long by 1 i Miles wide. Its coastline of High Cliffs is broken by sleep ravines. There Aro few deposits of soil and scarce rainfall limits Island vegetation to scrub Brush and Cactus water supplies Are so inadequate that Tanker ships must haul water to the Island several times weekly. Because there is no water table on the Island we Don t have a Good grounding system said chief warrant officer 2 George Sackett 42, the Stalion s senior technical officer. During electrical storms this can mean trouble Lor the compound which sits atop a High Cliff on the Western tip of the Island. The site is dominated by a 625-foot-High transmitting Antenna. Last Winter every Lime we had an electrical storm we suffered some sort of electrical damage one lightning strike wiped of 30 pieces of equipment said sacked Grasshoppers overrun the site in summer. When it is Damp the electricity jumps around the Tower s insulators. You can see in and hear it and All the Grasshoppers Start chirping at the same rate As the electricity. It s their Loran  said Petty officer 3rd class Tod Higman. 20, from Portales . The Island has a permanent population of 5.000, nearly All of whom live in the Island s sole Community at the opposite end from the Loran station. A Road paved in part runs the length of the Island fishing is the locals main occupation although tourism has boomed in recent years and can swell the population to 20,000 in summer. Tourists Are drawn to Lampedusa by beaches of dazzle ugly Bright Sand and mull hued Waters tilled with sea Lile. Most of the tourists Are Northern italians plus some swedes germans and French. American tourists Are a rarity. This time of the year in t bad for the Guys. They can find people logo to the Beach with and there is some night me said i j g Gregory Cruthis the station s commanding officer. Now we Are on tropical routine hours 7 30 a m. Until 1 30 it s usually Blister Gay hot by 1 30 and those hours give everyone a Chance to enjoy the beaches ii kind of makes up for the Long hours they put m during the Winter said the 30-year old former resident of Decatur. Iii. A duty Crew of four is on Call the rest of the Day during the summer. Those not on duty can also enjoy the site s swimming Pool one of Onty two on the Island during those Tang free afternoons. I be been Loo Busy to gel to the  said Petty officer 1st class Michael Potoczak one of the station s two Cooks As he floated in the Pool one hot saturday afternoon. I arrived Here in March. That was a mistake. I m using up All the Good weather at the beginning of my tour. It s going to be a Long Winter said the 28-year-old from Taunton mass during the Winter the men Are on duly from 8 am. To 4 p.m., but they often Are trapped on their end of the Island by the weather. While a disco and a Good number of restaurants Are open during the tourist season. The town with its single Gas Stalion is extremely Quiel Dunn the rest of the year for seven months of the year there is nothing to do but work said Petty officer 2nd class Darrell j. Hackworth 34, the station s corpsman. The Williamson w.va., resident said Hal while summer temperatures can reach 120 degrees Winters Are raw. Lost Winter we had 70 to 80-Knol winds for two weeks straight. Then after a one week break they blew again for another two weeks. The rain came horizontally and made the Walls in my room weep Hackworth said. A team came in to inspect me. Its members were supposed to be Here or three Days. They got weathered in and ended up slaying Lor 10 Days " because Lampedusa is restricted duty personnel assigned to the station earn 30 Days of compensatory absence for the year Long Lour in addition to their regular 30 Days of annual leave. And after six months they May use 14 Days of in for or in Europe or the United Stales. Larn Medusa s links to the outside world Aro either an an eight hour Lerry to Southern Sicily or a flight to Rome or Palermo Sicily. All the men at the Stalion there Are no women currently assigned Are on year Long unaccompanied hours. They All live at the Stalion. Everybody has his own room. Ii gives you whatever privacy you have around Here said Sackett. Who hails from governors Island . The station is self sufficient when it comes to water and electricity but depends on Nas Simonella. Sicily Lor nearly All its supplies. The naval air station airlifts supplies in every two weeks aboard ch-53e helicopters. Mail comes on regular civilian flights to the Island. They Are great about supporting us any Way they can Cruthis said of the Simonella base they brought a Uso show Over to us several weeks ago that was a treat Marco Martuto 41, one of four italians employed at the site was born on Lampedusa. But spent much of his life in England before returning to the Island seven years ago. He said the isolation gels to him. I had my bag packed and was ready to leave a month after returning to the Island am i used to it now Well almost Carluto said. I can remember a couple of Guys who could t handle the isolation and had to be sent Back to the  who Best copes with life at the station workaholics. People in love with their work who Don t need outside attractions do Best Here Cruthis said ugust26,1989 the . Coast guard Loran station at Lampedusa. A Remote Meo Herranen Island. The stars and stripes Page 15