King Felipe VI sails aboard Spain’s first fully national-designed and built submarine, the S-81 “Isaac Peral”
On the morning of May 19, His Majesty King Felipe VI embarked on the S-81 submarine “Isaac Peral”. Upon his arrival at the Cartagena Arsenal he was welcomed by the Chief of Staff of the Armada (AJEMA), admiral general Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez, the Fleet Commander, admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río Jáudenes and the Commander of the Submarine Flotilla, Captain Pedro Márquez de la Calleja.
After that, the King proceeded to the pier where the S-81 was docked and, after boarding the submarine, he was received by its commanding officer. From there, he accessed the ship’s sail and began the navigation. During the voyage, the submarine made a deep dive to its operational limit, conducted a series of waterway drills, manoeuvres at periscope level and subsequent surfacing.
During the voyage, HM the King toured different compartments of the submarine, where he learned first-hand about the capabilities of this state-of-the-art unit, and met with part of the crew in the propulsion system compartment.
After disembarking, HM the King went to the main building where he unveiled a commemorative plaque honoring his first embarkation in the submarine.
