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Date Published: 17/03/2023

Recovered Spanish Navy Tonina submarine will be exhibited on land in Cartagena

Half a million euros is being spent preparing the Cartagena square for the 60-metre vessel which will open to tours

The recovered Tonina (S-62) submarine, built in the Cartagena shipyard and used by the Spanish Navy between 1973 and 2005, is set to return to its initial stomping ground and will be exhibited on land in the city's Plaza de la Marina Española.

A total of 3 million euros is being spent on the project: a million on its displacement; 500,000 to reinforce the square ahead of the 60-metre vessel's arrival; and the remainder preparing the submarine for its visit and tours.

Details of the initiative were revealed this week by Cartagena Mayor, Noelia Arroyo, during a special presentation attended by the Spanish Navy's Admiral of the Arsenal, Pedro Luis de la Puente, promoter of the initiative, along with the Director General of Cultural Heritage, Pablo Braquehais, and the architect Andrés Cánovas, responsible for the project to adapt the square.

The initial idea was that the Tonina, which lay abandoned for 13 years in Cartagena shipyard and is on loan from the Spanish Navy, should be exhibited next to the Naval Museum of Cartagena to form a set with Isaac Peral's prototype, but that the technical debate focused on deciding whether it was more convenient to exhibit the submarine in the water, in the boat dock, or to do it dry and on land in the Plaza de la Marina Española.

Data on all options was gathered under the supervision of the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage. Hydrographic studies and sonar studies were carried out in the dock; the resistance of the square was analysed with geotechnical studies to determine its resistance, and the options for relocation and its musealisation were looked into.

And in the end, Plaza de la Marina Española was the option selected.

"This, the dry option, is the formula chosen for most of the submarines on display in the world because it guarantees better conservation and maintenance, and this must be a priority," explained the mayor.

Tonina (S-62) was launched on March 10 1972. During her 32 years of service, took part in various national and international manoeuvres, sailed more than 200,000 miles, logged more than 31,000 diving hours and more than 1,000 sailors served aboard the vessel.

At the time of Tonina's retirement, the S-62 was the longest serving submarine in the history of the Spanish Submarine Arm.

Read also: Moving extra sand onto Mar Menor beaches to make them tourist-ready harms the lagoon, say eco warriors

Image: Archive

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