The Navy lends a propeller from a corvette that will be displayed in a roundabout in Poniente.

The Benidorm City Council and the Spanish Navy strengthen their ties once again by reinforcing their relationship. On this occasion, it's through the loan of a propeller from the corvette 'Cazadora' (F-35) to the city of Benidorm. This propeller will be installed in the new roundabout built in the Poniente area (intersection of Avenida de la Armada Española and Avenida del Xixo).

The official ceremony will take place this Thursday, March 21st, at the same location where the propeller will be installed after undergoing a thorough cleaning and polishing process. Additionally, a descriptive plaque with some information about this ship will be installed.

The event will begin with the hoisting of the Spanish flag on a mast installed next to the propeller, followed by the unveiling of the commemorative plaque marking the Navy's loan to the city of Benidorm.

This installation serves as a reminder of the numerous Benidorm residents who have served, worked, or commanded commercial or warships, such as Vicente Roig, José Pérez Llorca, or Condestable Francisco Zaragoza y Such. This event adds to many others that strengthen the relationship between the Navy and the city, such as: the awarding of the Naval Merit Cross to our patron saint, the Virgin of Sufragio, in 2001; the presentation of the Gold Medal of the city to the Navy in 2017; or the delivery of combat flags to several ships held in the municipality.

Following the official loan of the 'Cazadora' corvette's propeller, the Auditorium of the Benidorm City Hall will also host the inaugural event of the 'Maritime Days 2024' on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. These maritime days are jointly organized by the Benidorm City Council, the Frax Foundation of the Valencian Community, the Naval Museum, and the Naval Museum Foundation.

The event will feature Vice Admiral Enrique Torres Piñeyro, director of the Naval History and Culture Institute of the Navy, and Captain Juan Escrigas Rodríguez, director of the Naval Museum of Madrid, who will deliver a lecture titled 'The crews of the Cervera squadron after the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.'

About the corvette 'Cazadora'

The corvette 'Cazadora' (F-35) was the fifth ship of the 'Descubierta' class, which, along with five others, formed the 21st Escort Squadron of the Navy. It was built by the national company Bazán at the Ferrol shipyards and launched on October 17, 1978, with Amparo Illana de Suárez, the wife of the then Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez, as the godmother.

It was delivered to the Navy on July 20, 1981, with its base established in Cartagena. In 2004, it was converted into a coastal patrol vessel, adopting the numeral P-78, and its base was moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria before returning to Cartagena in 2012. Finally, it was decommissioned on April 26, 2018, at the Cartagena Arsenal, after sailing over 566,000 miles during its 37 years of service on 3,507 days at sea, and visiting a total of 83 national and international ports and 25 countries.

It participated in operations such as the embargo on Iraq, EUROMARFOR, Active Endeavour, Noble Sentinel, UNIFIL, Indalo, Gulf of Guinea, and numerous maritime surveillance and security operations. From its conversion into a patrol vessel until its decommissioning from the Navy, it was part of the Maritime Action Force (FAM), which, within the Fleet, is made up of the units primarily tasked with protecting national maritime interests and controlling national sovereignty and interest maritime spaces, ensuring permanent cooperation with various Administration bodies with competencies in the maritime domain, which constitutes the Navy's contribution to State Action at Sea.