MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) - The guided missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, has returned to the Sevastopol base in the Crimea after a tour in the Mediterranean Sea, a Navy spokesman said on Tuesday.

The tour was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Messina earthquake and Russia's participation in international relief efforts.

"The main purpose of the tour was the participation in international memorial events related to the 100th anniversary of efforts to rescue citizens of Messina following a devastating earthquake," the spokesman said.

The Messina quake had an estimated magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale and was followed by a tsunami that struck many coastal cities with 40-foot (12-meter) waves, causing more destruction. The earthquake and tsunami killed two-thirds of the city's 150,000 inhabitants at the time.

In addition, the Moskva cruiser held on January 30 a day of drills with Italy's Andrea Doria destroyer in the Ionian Sea and the Strait of Messina.

Moskva is a Slava-class missile cruiser designed as a surface strike ship with some anti-air and ASW capability.

The sixteen SS-N-12 Sandbox nuclear-capable supersonic anti-ship missiles are mounted in four pairs on either side of the superstructure, giving the ship a distinctive appearance.