Amphibious Ships Galicia (L-51)

Dear friends, as Commander of this warship, it is a pleasure to welcome you to this small section dedicated to the Amphibious Assault Ship "Galicia" and to give a brief overview of who we are, what we do, and the role this ship plays in the Spanish Navy. Our main mission is to conduct amphibious operations, which primarily allows us to deploy our expeditionary force (the Marines) to a conflict zone or the site of any type of natural disaster. In addition, we are a floating hospital and can provide all types of medical assistance anywhere. I hope you enjoy and find our small section interesting.

Displacement: 13.000 toneladas.

Length: 160 m.

Beam: 23 m.

Propulsion:

• 2 plants with 2 Diesel Carterpillar-BAZAN engines (22,000HP) and an electric engine (1,500 HP), all of them coupled to a reduction gear.
• 2 variable pitch propellers (5 blades and 4 m. diameter).
• 1 fore propeller (1,800 HP) for transversal thrust.

Electric plant: 7-MW electric plant with 4 diesel generators of 1,520 Kw and an emergency 715 Kw generator.

Aircrafts:

• Hangar for 4 heavy or 6 medium size helicopters.
• Day and night operations; contact and instrument flight; VERTREP and HIFR, GSI and artificial horizon.

Crew: 185 people. 615 transported.

Weapons:

• Two 20 mm OERLIKON machineguns (possibility of 4).
• 6 SRBOC Mk3 Chaff Launchers.
• 4x 12,7mm Browning M2HB with capability to operate as Remote Weapon System.

Sensors:

• Surface and Navigational radar KH 1007 (F band).
• Helicopter control radar KH-1007 (F band).
• Navigational radar LPI PILOT Mk 2 MOD 7 (I band).
• IFF AN/TPX-54 (V) Mk-XII (mode 4).
• ESM communications system REGULUS Mk-9500.
• Surface radar with capability to control helicopters SCANTER
• IFF AN/TPX-54 (V) Mk-XII

Miscellaneous:

• 4 LCM1-E landing craft.
• Helicopters: 6 AB-212 or 4 SH-3D.
• Vehicles: 90-170 depending on type in 1,010 m2 in parking area (170 M-113; 130 Pizarro or 33 M-60A3).
• Materiel and ammunition: 700 tons.
• 4 cargo lifts.
• 3 ramps.
• 2 cranes (25 and 2.5 tons).
• A total of 3,500 m2 of cargo areas including storerooms, flight deck and hangar.

The LPD "Galicia" has been designed to transport troops and vehicles and to operate with amphibious craft in her well deck, and with helicopters in her flight deck. The main tasks of this type of ships are amphibious operations, but also include peace-keeping and humanitarian aid operations, as well as medical and surgical assistance in natural disasters thanks to her onboard hospital.

The "Galicia" is also capable of operating as command ship of the Amphibious and Landing Force Command, and as alternative command ship of a Maritime Component Command..

Her home port is Rota Naval Base (Cadiz); the largest Spanish Navy base located between the towns of Rota and Puerto de Santa María.

The ship embarks Marine Corps vehicles when deployed in amphibious operations or exercises. The vehicles can embark in the well deck thanks to the LCM landing craft belonging to the Beach Naval Group.

The ship, as opposed to a frigate, does not have missiles, but has self-defence weapons to repel unexpected attacks at sea. Namely, two 20 mm mountings; 4 Browning machineguns and 2 MG machineguns, as well as portable weapons such as HK rifles, guns, etc.

In 1991 the governments of Spain and the Netherlands signed a collaboration agreement for the design of a new amphibious ship.

Shipbuilding of the LPD "Galicia" (L-51) started in 1995 at Navantia Shipyards in Ferrol as the first unit of a series of two.

The ship was launched on July 21st 1997 and delivered to the Spanish Navy on April 29th 1998 to substitute the old transport ship "Castilla" (L-21).

This ship is the 7th unit with that name in the Spanish Navy. Other ships were:

• A 70-gun warship built in La Graña, launched on July 28th 1729 and delivered to the Spanish Navy in April 1730. Captured by British forces during an attack to Cartagena de Indias and sunk in 1741.
• 74-gun warship of 1651 tons built in Havana in 1750. Scrapped in Cadiz in 1797.
• Torpedo boat/Gunner built in La Graña in 1891. 571 tons and speed of 18 knots.
• Armoured tug. She took part in the sinking of the submarine B-6 at Cabo de Peñas in 1936.
• Cruiser (ex-"Príncipe Alfonso" and ex-"Libertad"). Built in Ferrol; launched in January 1925 and delivered on October 24th 1927. Length: 176.6 m.; beam: 16.6 m.; draught: 5 m.; displacement: 7,975 tons; propulsion: 8 Yarrow boilers and 4 Parsons turbines (80.000 HP). Max speed: 34.7 knots. Main weapons: eight 152 mm guns. Scrapped in 1970.
• LSD "Galicia" L-31 (ex-USS "San Marcos") Built for the U.S. Navy in Philadelphia and launched in January 1945. Transferred to the Spanish Navy on July 1st 1971 and decommissioned in 1987.

The "Galicia" crew consists of 185 men and women: 18 officers, 28 NCOs and 145 seamen and ratings. All these people were trained in different naval schools such as the Naval Academy in Ferrol, the NCO Academy in San Fernando and the "Antonio Escaño" School in Ferrol, although many of them finished their training some time ago and have been serving in naval units for years.

To define the daily life of a sailor is not an easy task as each day is different. While ashore, we try to maintain ship equipments and train personnel.

Every year, there are manoeuvers scheduled for the Fleet's ships. In our case, these manoeuvers are primarily held in February and September, where we participate in amphibious deployments with members of the Marine Corps. We conduct an annual amphibious training cycle whose main objective is to ensure the training and certification of the crews of the amphibious ships and the MC’s “Tercio Armada”. We also participate in national and NATO exercises and in the deployments of the “DÉDALO” Expeditionary Task Group.

Among other operations: transport of materiel and personnel during the KFOR in former Yugoslavia; humanitarian aid operations in the aftermath of hurricane "Mitch" in Central America (NOV 98-JAN 99); cleaning activities after the sinking of the oiler "Prestige" in Galicia (DEC 02-JAN 03); humanitarian aid operation in Iraq (JAN-APR 05); operation "Respuesta Solidaria" in Banda Aceh after the Tsunami in NW Sumatra, and operation "Libre Hidalgo" in support of UN peace-keeping operations in Lebanon. Finally, four deployments in operation "Atalanta" in the fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of Somalia (2010, 2011, 2015 y 2017).

More recently, on April 2, 2020, she arrived at the city of Melilla to provide healthcare support as a hospital ship during the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-April, she relocated to the Port of Ceuta for the same purpose. On Friday, April 17, she sailed from Ceuta back to Rota Naval Base after carrying out the operations requested by the city council.

In March of this year, the “Galicia” participated in Exercises FLOTEX/DYNAMIC MARINER 25 along with other 8 NATO nations, and COMCGMAD’s Staff was certified as MCC of the Allied Response Force.

As of 2022, the “Galicia” regularly participates in different deployments of the “DÉDALO” Expeditionary Task Group.