Spanish Navy

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 the Americas and the first global circumnavigation, and participation in some of the most important naval battles in history, like the battles of Lepanto and Trafalgar. For several centuries, the Spanish Navy played a crucial logistical role in the exploration, expansion and consolidation of the Spanish Empire, and defended a vast trade network across the Atlantic Ocean and across the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish Navy was one of the most powerful maritime forces in the world from the late 15th century to the end of the 18th century. In the early 19th century, with the loss of most of its empire, the Spanish navy transitioned to a much smaller fleet but it still maintained a significant shipbuilding capability and produced the first fully capable military submarine. In this time, the Spanish navy also contributed to the development of the destroyer class of warship and achieved the first global circumnavigation by an ironclad vessel. The main bases of the Spanish Navy are at Rota, Ferrol, San Fernando and Cartagena.