| Ferrol Naval Base | |
|---|---|
Arsenal de Ferrol | |
 | |
| Type | Military base |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  Spain |
| Controlled by |  Spanish Navy |
| Site history | |
| Built | 16th century 1740-1790 |
| In use | 1726 –present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Vice admiral Antonio Duelo Menor [1] |
| Occupants | See Ships |
Ferrol Naval Base also known as the Arsenal of Ferrol is a military base and arsenal of the Spanish Navy located in Ferrol, Spain. It is the main Spanish naval base on the Atlantic.
The first warships arrived in the Ría de Ferrol in the 16th century, during the reign of the House of Austria. It was not until 1724 when Felipe V, of the House of Bourbon, established Ferrol as the main port of the Atlantic.
Major development and expansion of the shipyards and arsenal began in the 1740s and 1750s. Initial proposals were drawn up under Minister of the Navy José Patiño, and executed by his successor, Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea, Marquis de la Ensenadahe, appointed Minister of the Navy in 1743. The first ship, the San Fernando, was launched in 1751. By then twelve ships could be being built simultaneously. King Charles III was particularly interested in the navy, and in 1790, during his reign, the arsenal at Ferrol was largely completed, with a workforce of 5,440 men and a capacity to maintain 70 ships.
Technological developments during the Industrial Revolution led to the establishment of the School of Machinists and the School of Naval Engineers in 1850, during the reign of Isabel II. A steam engine workshop was also established. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first Spanish battleships, the España class, were built in Ferrol. By 1912 the shipyards of Ferrol were primarily building battleships and cruisers, while destroyers and submarines were built in Cartagena.
The Ferrol naval base was substantially modernized during the twentieth century. The Navy Marine Corps Barracks were built; as were the Electricity and Electronics Workshop and new warehouses. New facilities for docks 1 and 2 were constructed, as was a Cannon Workshop. The docks have been expanded, and vessels can be moored around the basin. In 2003 dock 5 was enlarged to fit the Álvaro de Bazán-class frigates. In 2013 the Naval Archive of Ferrol was inaugurated. [2]
The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, the most famous being the discovery of America and the first global circumnavigation. For several centuries, it played a crucial logistical role in the expansion and consolidation of the Spanish Empire, and defended a vast trade network across the Atlantic Ocean between the Americas and Europe, and the Manila Galleon across the Pacific Ocean between the Philippines and the Americas.
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The Álvaro de Bazán class, also known as the F100 class, is a class of Aegis combat system-equipped air defence frigates in service with the Spanish Navy. The vessels were built by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia in Ferrol, with the lead ship of the class named for Admiral Álvaro de Bazán.
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Júpiter-class minelayers was a group of four vessels of the Spanish Republican Navy built during the Spanish Republic. Three of them came into service during the Civil War after joining the rebel side.
The Serviola-class patrol boats are a series of patrol boats built in 1990 at the shipyard in Ferrol in the former Empresa Nacional Bazan for the Spanish Navy. They entered service with the Spanish Navy from October 1992. They are based in the Galician port of Ferrol making most of their patrols along the Galician and Cantabrian coasts.
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The Cartagena Naval Base, also known as Arsenal of Cartagena, is a military base and arsenal of the Spanish Navy located in the city of Cartagena. It is one of the oldest naval bases in Spain, having been created in the 18th century. Located in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, it is the main Spanish base in the Mediterranean Sea.
The F110 class, also known as the Bonifaz class, are a multi-purpose, anti-submarine class of Aegis combat system-fitted heavy frigates under construction for the Spanish Navy. The project is being co-developed by the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the state-owned company Navantia. The construction of the first unit (Bonifaz) started in April 2022. Deliveries are scheduled to start in about 2025.
Cristóbal Colón is the fifth and last ship of the Álvaro de Bazán-class of air defence frigates entering service with the Spanish Navy. The ship is named after Christopher Columbus, the Genoese explorer that claimed the discovery of America in the name of the Crown of Castile. It is the most modern ship of the Spanish Navy.
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