300 Years of the Spanish Navy Quartermaster Corps

On January 28th 1717, His Majesty King Philip V having considered the need to reestablish the Spanish Navy, appointed José Patiño y Rosales General Quartermaster of the Navy with ample powers raging from naval shipbuilding and procurement of supplies and gear, to financial matters, recruitment of sailors, building of weapons factories, readiness of the different squadrons, exploitation of resources and, in addition, the presidency of the House of Trade in charge of matters pertaining to the commerce with the colonies.

Patiño quickly became involved and among the cluster of actions and initiatives that he launched to ‘restore the Navy’ – the formation of the Royal Midshipmen Company and the Navy Artillery Corps – he established a specific body, the Ministry (term which must be understood as synonymous with Administration), to have competent and qualified staff to help him carry out the enormous task entrusted to him by the King. Thus, in March 1717, he set up the Chief Accountancy of the Navy and implemented different instructions for the Ministry.

In 1847, by Royal Decree of 23 June, the Ministry was reshuffled and changed its name to Navy Administrative Corps. Later, in 1931 the name changed again and since then it is known as Quartermaster Corps of the Spanish Navy.

The Quartermaster Corps has been serving Spain for 300 years without interruption as part of the Navy, a long history about which, unfortunately, not many books have been written, but for those who want to know more things about it in detail, there are two excellent recently published books: "La Intendencia en la Armada" by Colonel Rodriguez-Villasante, (1996) and "Promociones del Cuerpo de Intendencia de la Armada. Del siglo XVIII al siglo XXI", by the Quartermaster General Araguas and Colonel Abeledo Maristany, (2012).