ARCHIVED - The last crew say farewell to the Siroco in Cartagena.

The Siroco officially retired from Naval Service at a ceremony in the Cartagena Military Arsenal.

On Friday a ceremony took place in the Military Arsenal in Cartagena to officially retire the submarine ‘Siroco’, one of four ‘Agosta’ class vessels built for the Spanish navy .

The ‘Siroco’ was the second submarine built in the series and was launched on 12 December in 1983, receiving her name from the warm, dry wind which blows in from Africa. The other three vessels in the same series were also named after winds, being the Tramontana, Mistral and Galerna.

Since entering service the Siroco has spent more than 2300 days at sea  and been  immersed for more than 33,000 hours.
600 different crew members have served on the submarine with 18 commanding officers throughout her time with the Navy.

On Friday, she was officially removed from the list of operational vessels in an emotional service presided over by Vice Admiral Fernando Zumalacárregui Luxán, Admiral of the Cartagena Arsenal, in which the last serving crew and captain handed back command of the vessel to the Admiral.

The ceremony began with the last crew and captain lined up on top of the submarine, the Spanish flag flying proud, with a large number of military personnel, former captains and crew and families of those who have served onboard present on land, together with the military band and priest from the Arsenal

The priest began the formal act by blessing the boat and a short prayer was said for all those who had served on her throughout her 33 years of service, and former crew members who were now deceased.
On command, the Spanish flag, was slowly lowered, and carefully folded before being handed to the last captain of the Siroco, who carried it down from the submarine to present to the Admiral waiting on land.

This act of surrendering the flag effectively handed control of the vessel back to the Admiral.

He then gave the crew permission to disembark, the captain returning to the submarine to shake the hand of each crew member as they left for the last time, the whole accompanied by an upbeat performance from the band.

The captain was the last to leave and the band played the Spanish national anthem, accompanied by the voices of all present as he walked down onto land, leaving the submarine empty.

The S 70 series are being replaced by the S-80s which are currently under construction in the nearby Navantia shipyards, the first of which is due to enter the water in the spring of next year with an 18 month period of tests and trials before entering service.

So what happens to the Siroco now?
Initially, the military tried to find a buyer for her, as there is a burgeoning market for submarines worldwide, but at 33 years of age and in need of a major overhaul, no purchaser could be found. Her age was clearly visible in the docks and already shes a little more than an empty skeleton, having already been plagiarised for parts to keep the other three vessels operational. At the moment, two of them are in an operational condition, and the third in the Navantia ship works for a refit, although some doubt has been expressed as to whether there are sufficient funds for the refit to be completed.
It is vital that one vessel remains fully operational, and preferable to have a second as backup, although a third is not completely necessary, so there is the distinct possibility that this will be sold or scrapped, once the first of the F 80 series, being named S-81, Isaac Peral, comes online.

The officer we spoke to confessed that there is always a certain reluctance to actually cut up a submarine, and that where possible, they are donated to local councils to be used for Museum or display purposes or relocated into military museums.
At the moment Cartagena has the first Isaac Peral submarine as a water feature on the main port side, an iconic symbol of the citys naval past, the prototype built by the inventor himself, which is probably the most photographed relic in Cartagena .

Unfortunately, time, water and humidity has caused a great deal of damage to the structure of the submarine, with the result that it is now to be removed from the dockside and placed in the new Naval Museum.

Unfortunately for the Sirocco, shes too large to fit into the same location, and at 67 metres a little too long to decorate a roundabout. The Navy already has three submarines for the new, larger exhibits hall of the Naval Museum, and with money in short supply, it is unlikely that she will end up as a prize exhibit in the port, similar to the impressive installation in Torrevieja, which is a great shame, as the Isaac Peral will be sorely missed by the tourists.

So if anyone is looking for an impressive water feature for that must have Spanish home.....

It was a surprisingly emotional occasion, the retirement of a vessel which has been the focal point of so many lives and the subject of so much care and loving attention throughout its service.
But supplanted by modern technology, the new S-80 under construction just a few hundred metres away,  the death knoll of a vessel built 30 years ago and which has become little more than a hole in the water, into which large sums of money must be injected to keep it afloat.

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