The Augusta Bay is located on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, about 270 nm south-southeast of Naples.[1] In the ancient period it was called Xiphonius portus (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ξιφώνειος λιμήν). The modern Capo di Santa Croce was called Xiphonian Promontory (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τὸ τῆς Ξ̔ιφωνίας ἀκρωτήριο). Diodorus Siculus mentions that the Carthaginian fleet (263 B.C.) touched at Xiphonia on its way to Syracuse, Sicily. Stephanus of Byzantium wrote about a town there which was called Xiphonia (Ξιφωνία),[2] but most probably he made a mistake, since no other known ancient author mentioned it.[3]
It is the location of the Augusta Bay Port Facility which supports the Sixth Fleet of the US Navy. The facility is distributed among Porto Megarese, Porto Xifonio and Seno del Priolo.[1]