The lecture ‘The submarine, main strategic weapon’ by Admiral Gonzalo Sanz Alisedo opens the III Benidorm Maritime Conference

Benidorm Town Hall's Assembly Hall hosted the opening conference of the 3rd Maritime Conference yesterday afternoon. This annual event is organised by the Frax Foundation, in collaboration with the Town Hall and the Institute of Naval History and Culture, directed by Admiral Enrique Torres Piñeyro. The event, which drew a large audience, featured a lecture by Admiral Gonzalo Sanz Alisedo, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy, on the topic of "The Submarine, the Main Strategic Weapon."

The lecture's content is particularly relevant in these times of armed conflict in the Persian Gulf. Among those in attendance were the Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, accompanied by members of the council; the President of the Frax Foundation, Matías Pérez Such; and numerous representatives of the Spanish Navy and the State Security Forces, including the Admiral in charge of the Cartagena Arsenal, Alejandro Cuerda. Among those present were Captain Alfonso Carrasco, head of the Navy's Submarine Flotilla; Joaquín Vegara, director of the Navy's Historical Archive; José María Liarte, director of the Military Diving School; Damián Niebla, commanding officer of the S-82 'Narciso Monturiol'; and Francisco Zaragoza, trustee of the Frax Foundation. Also in attendance were Salvador Ivorra, vice-rector of the University of Alicante; naval historian Pilar del Campo; Colonel Juan Navarro, deputy delegate of Defence in Alicante; and Luis Manuel Sánchez, police commissioner of Benidorm.

Gonzalo Sanz Alisedo, born in Madrid in 1963, was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in 1987. Throughout his career, he has commanded several surface vessels, including the patrol boat ‘Acevedo’, the corvette ‘Cazadora’, the F-100 frigate ‘Álvaro de Bazán’, and the Navy's flagship, the aircraft carrier ‘Juan Carlos I’. Sanz Alisedo has participated in military operations in various international theatres, such as the Persian Gulf, the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, and the Indian Ocean.

Sanz Alisedo's lecture was introduced by Enrique Torres Piñeyro, director of the Naval Museum, who spoke about the speaker and his career in the Navy.

Gonzalo Sanz spoke about the strategic role of submarines, Churchill's fear of German submarines during World War II, and significant facts such as that "half of the Japanese merchant ships sunk were sunk by submarines." "The Allied submarine in the Pacific," he said, "shared the podium in importance with the aircraft carrier."

During his talk, he emphasised the "crucial importance of discretion as a fundamental value, which increased with the advent of nuclear propulsion." He explained that "this ushered in a new era for the submarine, which is the ultimate weapon by definition," and highlighted that "they now launch ballistic missiles, which represented a huge leap forward because they can reach targets on land."

The admiral stressed that "few nations are capable of designing their own submarines, and Spain is one of them." During his lecture, he discussed the different types of submarines, their characteristics, the missions they perform, the submariners, and the challenge that lies ahead for Spain.

The day concluded with remarks from the Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, who recalled that “it was an admiral, Bernat de Sarrià, who granted us the town charter,” but emphasised the city's “relationship” with the Navy throughout the years, “but also with the sea, fishing, and the Merchant Marine.” Pérez also highlighted the importance of having “a monument to the submarine force” and affirmed that “in Benidorm, we understand that investing in the Navy is investing in our security, just as we do in the State Security Forces.” Finally, the mayor stressed that in Benidorm, “what we like is taking care of those who take care of us, and among them, our Navy and our submarine force.”

The next event in the Maritime Conference will take place on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Alameda Street Cultural Centre with the lecture ‘The long journey to train ourselves in the design and construction of submarines’, by Vice Admiral Nicolás Lapique Martín, Director of Naval Engineering and Construction.