The former Chief of Staff of the Navy reviews his career in Benidorm, from his beginnings as a simple sailor
Admiral Rebollo's "55.5 years in the Navy" at the Benidorm Sea Days
Toni Pérez: The events put Benidorm "at the epicentre of seafaring tradition."
The second edition of the Jornadas de la Mar opened yesterday afternoon with the lecture "55.5 Years in the Navy. From Sailor to Admiral General," given by retired Admiral General and former Chief of Staff of the Navy, Manuel Rebollo (Pilar de la Horadana, 1945), in the City Hall Assembly Hall.
This was the first of the activities of the 2025 Sea Days, generically titled "The Sea: Source of Wealth and Conflict," organized by the Frax Foundation in collaboration with Benidorm City Council and the Institute of Naval History and Culture of the Ministry of Defense.
Shortly before 7:00 p.m., the Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, received at the doors of City Hall the Admiral of Maritime Action, Victoriano Gilabert; the Admiral Director of the Institute of Naval History and Culture, Enrique Torres Piñeyro; the General in Charge of the MOE (Special Operations Command) of the Army in Alicante, Francisco García-Almenta; the Naval Commander of Alicante, Joaquín Vergara; the Colonel in Charge of the Civil Guard, José Hernández Mosquera; and other representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps. Also in attendance were members of the local government team, representatives from various towns in the province, and the regional deputy, José Ramón González de Zárate.
The president of the Frax Foundation, Matías Pérez Such, welcomed the audience and gave the floor to Enrique Torres Piñeyro, who introduced his friend and colleague in the Navy, now a lecturer, Manuel Rebollo.
The former Chief of Staff of the Navy's presentation summarized, as its title indicated, the fifty-five and a half years of his life dedicated to the Navy, particularly those that began in 1963 with his enlistment as a sailor and which, after his time at the Naval Military Academy, he rose to the highest ranks.
Rebollo recalled his time as commander of the patrol boat Tabarca, the light transport vessel Contramaestre Casado, the frigate Santa María, and the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano. The admiral emphasized his three voyages around the world on the four-masted brig schooner, the experiences gained during decades at sea, and his "confidence in the future" of our country and our Navy.
Following Rebollo's remarks, the reserve admiral received public congratulations from Victoriano Gilabert and, on behalf of all those present and the people of Benidorm, from Toni Pérez.
The mayor praised the admiral's "impeccable career" and highlighted the "deeds and exploits" of our Spanish Navy, which is "sometimes" forgotten, although in Benidorm "quite the opposite" is true.
Toni Pérez recalled that millions of people visit the city and discover that one of its main avenues "bears the name of the Spanish Navy" or the monument to the Submarine Weapon in Plaza de la Senyoria. The mayor also recalled that "few cities in the world" can boast a Virgin of the Sea, like Benidorm, "which yesterday celebrated the Dawn," the arrival, 285 years ago, of the Virgin of the Sea to its beach, and the close connection "of the children of Benidorm in the tasks of the sea or the defence of the homeland, also at sea."
Pérez concluded his speech by thanking the Frax Foundation for its outreach efforts with the Jornadas de la Mar (Sea Days) because "they have placed Benidorm at the epicentre of this historic seafaring tradition, not only for our city but for all of Spain."
The second of this year's Jornadas del Mar (Sea Days) activities will take place on April 10th in the Fundación Mediterráneo auditorium with the lecture "Challenge at Sea," by Desafío Victoria Ocean Navigator Álex Pella.
