Ferrol Naval Base also known as the Arsenal of Ferrol is a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

and

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or 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, ...

located in Ferrol,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is the main Spanish naval base on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

History

The first warships arrived in the Ría de Ferrol in the 16th century, during the reign of the

House of Austria The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. It was not until 1724 when

Felipe V Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

, of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

, established Ferrol as the main port of the

. 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 Don José Patiño y Rosales (11 April 1666 – 3 November 1736) was a Spanish statesman who served as acting First Secretary of State of Spain from 1734 to 1736. Biography His father, Don Lucas Patiño de Ibarra, Señor de Castelar, who was ...

, 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 Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

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 The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

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 A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

workshop was also established. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first Spanish

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

s, the ''España'' class, were built in Ferrol. By 1912 the shipyards of Ferrol were primarily building battleships and

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

s, while

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s and

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s 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 A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

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 A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

. In 2013 the Naval Archive of Ferrol was inaugurated.History of the Naval Base of Ferrol
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Ships

* ''Álvaro de Bazán''-class frigates ** ''Álvaro de Bazán'' ** ''Almirante Juan de Borbón'' ** ''Blas de Lezo'' ** ''Méndez Núñez'' ** ''Cristóbal Colón'' * ''Serviola''-class patrol boats ** ''Serviola'' ** ''Centinela'' ** ''Vigía'' ** ''Atalaya'' *

Replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

s ** ''Patiño'' ** ''Cantabria'' * Patrol ships ** ''Cabo Fradera''

References

{{Coord, 43.4797, -8.2371, format=dms, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title Military installations of Spain Spanish Navy bases Ferrol, Spain Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of A Coruña

History

Ships

See also

References