Decommissioning of submarine ‘Tramontana’. A farewell ceremony in the Submarine Base.

Today, in a poignant military ceremony, the submarine ‘Tramontana’ has been decommissioned at the Submarine Base in Cartagena (SE Spain) in accordance with the old traditions and protocols of the Spanish Navy. The ceremony was presided over by Vice-admiral Pedro Luis de la Puente and attended by former commanding officers and crew members of the submarine.

The ‘Tramontana’ (S-74) was the last of the four ‘Galerna’-class conventional submarines built by Bazán (now Navantia) in its Cartagena shipyards. She served in the Spanish Navy since her delivery on November 30th 1984 sponsored by the, then, wife of the Minister of Defense Narcís Serra. Since then, the ‘Tramontana’ has sailed a total of 315,144 nautical miles, 218,384 of them underwater.

The S-74 has participated in many national and international operations and exercises including the launching of a torpedo that sank a surface ship in October 2004. The submarine also contributed to the outcome of the crisis of Perejil Island in 2002. Other interventions include her participation in operation ‘Unified Protector’ in Libya in 2001, as well as many NATO and EU-led missions successfully highlighting her versatility and commitment with maritime security.

The submarine underwent an important overhaul between 2014 and 2017, in which Navantia upgraded her capabilities allowing her to be fully operational since then, and until her final decommissioning this February 16th 2024.

With its retirement, the Spanish Navy bids farewell to a unit that has been fundamental in the generic mission of deterrence and defense, as well as in numerous other tasks related to the projection of naval power and maritime security. Her legacy will live on as a testimony of her valuable contribution to the defense and sovereignty of Spain in the maritime domain.