The Centennial celebrations of the Spanish Navy Submarine Service took place in Cartagena in a ceremony presided over by His Majesty King Felipe VI who later toured the Submarine Flotilla facilities.
The King was welcomed by the acting President of the Murcia Regional Government Alberto Garre, the Minister of Defense, Pedro Morenés and the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Jaime Muñoz-Delgado.
The celebrations in homage to the Submarine Service consisted in a wreath-laying ceremony for those who died for Spain and a parade of the participating force. The festivities were open to the public and were attended by national and local authorities as well as several Submarine Flotilla Commanders from Allied nations.
Submarines are ships of great offensive capability which can covertly operate undetected during prolonged periods of time. This stealthy feature turns them into a most useful instrument for a wide variety of missions. They contribute to warrant the freedom of navigation of our surface fleet neutralizing the threats posed in a given scenario, normally a coastal theatre away from the national territory.
They can also be employed in intelligence gathering missions, reconnaissance tasks in forward scenarios, and infiltration of special operations teams.
The Submarine Service was set up in 1915 by King Alfonso XIII when he signed the so-called ‘Miranda Act’ in memory of the then-Minister of the Navy Admiral Augusto Miranda. The Act provided for the construction of four submarines and the necessary related materiel, a training center and a special rescue ship.
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Image: Spanish Navy