Admiral Rodríguez Garat explains in Benidorm the origin and evolution of the Navy in Spain

Admiral Juan Rodríguez Garat, a well-known expert and conflict analyst, offered a conference yesterday in Benidorm titled 'La Armada. Ocho siglos de servicio a España'. A talk framed in the Sea Days organized by the Frax Foundation and which took place in the auditorium of the Mediterráneo Foundation on Alameda Street.

After a brief introduction by the president of the Frax, Matías Pérez Such, the admiral announced that he was going to present “a balanced history of the Navy, with triumphs and failures.” Rodríguez Garat pointed out, “We are used to being told a tragic story and I want to convey an epic story, even with a happy ending.”

The lecturer divided the history of the Navy into six stages, which he called seasons as if it were a television series. The first, 'Los Orígenes' dealt with medieval navies from 1248 to 1492. The second stage, 'Golden Pages' covers from 1492 to 1583, and extends from the reign of the Catholic Monarchs and milestones such as the discovery from America to “unforgettable deeds.”

The third season would be the 'Forgotten Deeds' from 1583 to 1628, a time in which "Spain confronts all countries, although there are important deeds that do not appear in the history books." After that a phase of 'Crisis and renewal' from 1628 to 1714. “There the Navy disappears in the wars against the French Sun King and the Dutch Navy has to be hired,” explained the admiral, who detailed a “second part of that season” from 1714 to 1789 which he called 'La Armada ilustrada'.

The fifth historical stage was called 'Question of Honor' and goes from 1789 to 1874 with the name 'God, what a good vassal if there were a good lord', a title that is due to “the bad luck that Spain had with the political leaders that existed. in the country". Finally, we reach the sixth and final stage; 'Around the Seas of the World' from 1874 to 2024. Rodríguez Garat revealed that “our Navy, poorly equipped, lost the war with the United States. Then, little by little, the consciousness of the nation began to grow again, but with unpopular wars that cost many lives of recruits.” Later came the stage of “the Civil War, the postwar period and a poor Spain.” It had to be “little by little that the Navy began to return to the path hand in hand with the Americans.” Finally, the admiral indicated “entry into the EU has meant that we once again have ships on par with the best in the world.”

Mayor Toni Pérez ended the talk by remembering “Benidorm's historical relationship with the sea” and revealed historical episodes such as the confrontation between two very prominent and contemporary sailors such as the founder of Benidorm, Bernat de Sarrià, and Roger de Lauria. “Two admirals who sometimes went together but who later carried out a very continuous confrontation over time over these lands,” Pérez said.