Spanish Armed Forces
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, the most famous being the voyages of Christopher Columbus to America and the first global circumnavigation by Magellan and Elcano. For several centuries, it played a crucial logistical role in the expansion and consolidation of the Spanish Empire, and defended a vast trade network across the Atlantic Ocean between the Americas and Europe, and the Manila Galleon across the Pacific Ocean between Manila and the Americas.
The Spanish Navy was the most powerful maritime force in the world from the 16th century to the end of the 18th century. In the early 19th century, with the loss of most of its empire, Spain transitioned to a smaller fleet but maintained a shipbuilding industry which produced important technical innovations. The Spanish Navy built and operated one of the first military submarines, made important contributions in the development of destroyer warships, and again achieved a first global circumnavigation, this time by an ironclad vessel.
Today the Spanish Navy is one of the only nine naval forces on the planet capable of projecting an important level of force in their own hemisphere.
