The S-81 ‘Isaac Peral’ submarine, the first submersible manufactured in Spain, is now ready for the water and this coming Thursday it is scheduled to make its first dive. The military ship has been assembled by the public company Navantia for the Navy and, if it passes the last test this week, it will make Spain the tenth country in the world with industrial capacity to manufacture submarines. 17 years after the start of the works, the Spanish military industry has been able to finalize its first submersible of the S-80 series; in Cartagena (Murcia).
In addition to the ‘Isaac Peral’, Navantia is currently manufacturing three other units of the S-80 series. These models are 7.3 meters in diameter, carry 60 kilometers of cables inside and can be operated with 32 sailors, compared to the 65 people required by their predecessors, those of the S-70 class built in the 70s of the last century. These submersible vessels are designed to be able to remain under water for a period of fifteen days, with a strategic autonomy that allows their atmosphere-independent propulsion system (AIP) to operate. With it, they obtain water and electricity at any depth thanks to a fuel cell system where hydrogen and oxygen combine to produce them.
The ‘Isaac Peral’ will be put in the water for the first time this Thursday, April 22, in an act that will have the participation of the kings and their daughters. In fact, the Infanta Leonor will be the honorary ‘godmother’ of this first Spanish-made submersible. After this first dive, the ‘Isaac Peral’ will enter the last testing stage before its final delivery, scheduled for 2023. As of Thursday, the S-81 Isaac Peral will move from the workshop where it was built in the Navantia shipyard to the sea through a floodable dock. Once in the water, the port tests will begin and, in a second phase, the sea tests, with surface navigation and immersion up to its maximum level.
Its first navigation is scheduled for early 2022 and its final delivery a year later. From Navantia they estimate that they will be able to deliver the four S-80 ordered in 2026, the S-81 Isaac Peral, the S-82 Narciso Monturiol, the S-83 Cosme García and the S-84 Mateo García de los Reyes.