Benidorm and the Merchant Navy

The naval history of Benidorm in the last third of the 18th century, the whole of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century is as fascinating as it is unknown to the current generations. It seems incredible that a small town, which in these centuries had between 2,000 and 3,000 inhabitants, has achieved such importance in Spanish naval history. It is impossible to name all the natives of Benidorm among the hundreds of captains, pilots, chief engineers, radio operators and countless carpenters, electricians, stewards and any other trade that could be accommodated on a high-board ship such as those of the companies "Pinillos", "Marqués de Campo", "Naviera Gallart", "Cía Valenciana" or "Transmediterránea". Sailors from Benidorm boarded and they were always at the helm of the best ships.

Benidorm was an emporium at sea when navigation was the most strategic human activity; times when world powers were measured by the size and power of their fleets, by their ability to maintain their colonies and protect commercial traffic. In this context, among the privateers in the service of the Spanish Crown, in the sailing and steam navy, there were always captains and officers from Benidorm, respected and admired throughout the world.

The origin of this story begins with privateering. The General Archive of the Navy “Álvaro de Bazán” preserves nine files that cover from the 18th century to 1826 relating to privateering or the profession of privateer with surnames such as Orts, Bayona, Ortuño, Zaragoza, Barceló, Pérez Barceló, Pérez Martínez, Llorca and Llinares, all of them natives of Benidorm. Privateering is the type of navigation carried out in search and pursuit of pirates and enemy vessels, capturing them when found. This “patent” to capture enemy vessels had to be authorized by the
Navy Commander.

In 1793 regarding this activity in Benidorm, Mayor José Orozco requested
authorization to have two armed vessels. In those last years
of the 18th century and the first years of the 19th century, there was significant
privateering activity in the town due to the armed conflicts against Great Britain and
Napoleonic France.

Privateering gave way to coastal and sailing navigation, and during the constitutional triennium (1820-1823), decrees were established to facilitate trade. In 1820, 230 fishing boats, coastal boats, and large boats were registered in Benidorm. There was intense traffic with Almería, Málaga, Seville, Huelva, Algeciras, and Cádiz (the starting point for America), Valencia, Havana, or Marseille, where many people from Benidorm went to reside to improve the commercial network.

In 1820, deep-sea navigation to America was documented.
Many Benidorm pilots and captains were in command of sailing ships on
the American and Philippine lines.

The captains went to the large Catalan, Cadiz,
Valencian, Bilbao and Santander companies, which demanded Benidorm sailors
for their expertise and tradition. In the decade of 1850-1860, a new generation of captains and pilots appeared, most of them specialists in
the American career.

By 1870, the Spanish Merchant Navy consisted of 1,420 ships, of which 1,312 were sailing ships and only 108 were steamers. The fleets of large iron sailing ships did not disappear until 1925-1930.

The coastal navy would be closely linked to the race to America and the
Philippines. Coastal shipping was the natural means of communication before 1868,
extending across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, transporting snow from
Aitana, paper from Alcoy, tiles, fabrics, flour and tobacco.

In 1865, out of a population of 3,000 inhabitants, 1,700 were registered in the
Benidorm Seafarers' Guild; and in 1890, more than 70 active captains.

Although sailing competed with steam, several circumstances would determine its
decline, including improvements in steam that allowed new possibilities beyond the reach of sailing ships. In 1858 a brigantine needed between 12 and 14 days to cross the Atlantic. In 1862, a steamer could do it in 8 days.

Other reasons were:
• Wooden ships had great limitations in increasing their tonnage, even if they had iron hulls, at a time of booming demand and traffic for heavy products.

• The construction of metal ships cost between 15 and 70% less than wooden ships, and steamers also needed fewer crews, so auxiliary sails were gradually eliminated.

• The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 significantly shortened the journeys
between Europe and India or Australia, but only by steam ships, sailing ships were not allowed.

Sailing ships tried until the last moment to maintain competition, even if it was limited to traffic in which speed was not a determining factor.
However, motor sailers were still used in coastal navigation and African routes in 1940.

The expertise acquired by Benidorm sailors in command of sailing ships
on the American and Antillean lines has a calling effect on the large steamship companies that demand captains, engineers, radio operators, and in turn boatswains, pursers, stewards, cooks, waiters on board their ships. Large family dynasties of
sailors are passed down from fathers to sons, brothers, grandsons, cousins,
constituting a network of surnames that is sometimes very difficult to follow.

It may be that in this long history of travels around the world, the birth of tourism in Benidorm took place, since many of the first hotels in the town were built by Benidorm sailors, who after their innumerable voyages were able to see the potential of their town and anticipate the impact that tourism activity would end up having, today
converted into industry.