The Cartagena Naval Museum historic Spain ships and submarines

The Naval Museum in Cartagena is a fascinating attraction in the city that anyone with even a slight interest in European history, especially the part associated with violence and struggles for various goals, should visit.

The museum is located in the central part of the port of Cartagena, and it is impossible to miss. As you can imagine, this place is related to the sea and what people built to navigate it.

The Cartagena Naval Museum and Its History

The Cartagena Naval Museum was first opened in 1986, and the original building that now houses the museum used to belong to the Spanish Society of Naval Construction. For many years, this was where the designs for the latest Spanish warships that struck fear on all the seas and oceans of the world were developed.

Before the current museum, another building stood on this site, also related to the sea but in a somewhat less pleasant context. Specifically, it housed the barracks for political prisoners and slaves brought from Spain from all corners of the world.

The history of the building over the centuries was quite intricate and interesting. An example would be the 1950s when it was taken over by the Catholic School of Our Lady of the Rosary. Fortunately, the Catholic school eventually returned to its rightful place, the church, and the Spanish Navy regained its property, transforming the building into the Naval Museum, where it remains to this day.

As the building on the waterfront is enormous, the Naval Museum Cartagena shares it with the Campus of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena.

In 2013, the museum was renovated and expanded to include the Isaac Peral Hall, which replaced the workshop and arsenal of Calderería del Arsenal that was previously located here. Essentially, the entire space was designed to accommodate the famous Peral submarine, which is the most valuable exhibit in the museum.

What You’ll See at The Cartagena Museum

The collections housed in the Cartagena Naval Museum are rich in exhibits and artefacts related to the history of the Spanish Navy. There are plenty of them, and I assure you, you won’t be bored.

The collections have been divided into sections, including:

• Naval Building: Here, you will find documents and materials related to the construction of the building housing the Naval Museum Cartagena.
• Cartography, Navigation, and Chart Room: This is where numerous maps, letters, and manuscripts of old ship captains are displayed. You will also see early telegraphs, sextants, and other devices that aided sailors in their voyages across vast seas. Notably, you’ll find the original helm of a 19th-century warship.
• Naval Artillery and Portable Weapons: Explore various weapons used by soldiers on warships throughout different periods of history. You’ll encounter a wide array of white weapons and early firearms, both handheld and ship-mounted. Additionally, you can examine ammunition, torpedoes, and many other military gadgets that illustrate the evolution of the Spanish Navy’s weaponry.
• Naval Medical Room: This section showcases the equipment of old naval hospitals and medical cabinets on warships. It features a fascinating collection of medical instruments, pharmacy equipment, and bandages used in maritime battlefields.
• Flags and Dress Uniforms of Sailors: Discover a collection of colourful flags used by the Spanish Navy.
• History of Diving and Underwater Work: From early and rudimentary underwater diving apparatuses reminiscent of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” to modern diving equipment combining suits and robotic devices, this section offers an intriguing journey through the history of diving and underwater exploration. It might be particularly appealing, though potentially challenging for those with claustrophobia or concerns about solitude underwater.
• Submarine Room: Embark on an incredible voyage into the depths of seas and oceans with explorers and scientists who made it possible for today’s submarines to explore even the deepest marine trenches. Here, you’ll see models of the first submarines, though I wouldn’t venture into one for any treasure! I won’t even mention the idea of submerging underwater myself. Additionally, you’ll find early torpedoes and rudimentary underwater rescue devices.
• Marine Corps Room: This section is dedicated to the brave soldiers who operated from Navy ships. It includes information on military actions and battles in which the Marine Corps participated throughout Spain’s history. You’ll find photographs of marines and a section dedicated to their units, weaponry, and uniforms.
• Isaac Peral Room: This room is dedicated to Isaac Peral and features documents and personal items as part of the national heritage, as well as models of submarines.

The Naval Museum Cartagena offers a diverse and fascinating exploration of the maritime history of Spain, making it a must-visit for history enthusiasts and anyone interested in naval heritage.

The Peral Submarine from the museum

Peral is a Spanish submarine built by naval engineer Isaac Peral in 1888. Peral is considered the world’s first successful and successfully launched submarine.

The vessel was powered by two electric motors powered by batteries and featured an exceptionally modern and innovative chemical air purification system for its time, allowing the submarine to remain submerged for much longer than originally anticipated.

The Peral submarine was successfully launched in September 1888, just over a year after Isaac Peral completed his plans and set them in motion.The submarine was equipped with the latest technological advancements of the time, including a highly streamlined design, a periscope, powerful electric batteries, two propellers, and a vertical screw, which, along with a ballast tank system, controlled the submarine’s submersion.

The Peral submarine was armed with three torpedoes. Two of them were attached to the sides of the submarine, secured to it by cranes, while one was housed inside the hull, resting in a special launching tube.

The submarine was powered by electric motors supplied by a large battery consisting of over 600 cells. These motors could propel the submarine to a speed of over 3 knots while submerged, which is almost 6 kilometres per hour. Thanks to its good design and well-thought-out propulsion system, the Peral submarine could compete with the first submarines of World War I in terms of underwater speed. The first submarine to achieve better submerged performance was the German submarine SM U-9, which could reach speeds of over 8 knots, equivalent to 15 kilometres per hour.

One significant drawback of the Peral submarine was its lack of an onboard internal combustion engine to recharge the batteries when needed. Therefore, the submarine’s operational range was very limited.

Visiting The Cartagena Naval Museum and Our Opinion

As I mentioned earlier, The Cartagena Naval Museum is located in the central part of the Cartagena port, and it’s impossible to miss. The massive building, once military barracks, is divided into the museum and the university section, belonging to the Polytechnic University of Cartagena. The museum space is in the northern part of the building, adjacent to the coast.

The interior of the museum is spacious and divided into sections. Right at the entrance, you’ll find the oldest collections showcasing ancient navigation instruments, shipboard weaponry like cannons and massive projectile-throwing crossbows. There are also parts of masts, rigging, equipment from old sailing ships, captain’s logs, and many other incredibly interesting artifacts from ships that served in the Spanish Navy in the past.

An intriguing exhibit in this part of the museum is the enormous and meticulously crafted model of the schooner Juan Sebastián de Elcano, one of the world’s largest four-masted sailing ships. Additionally, you’ll find ammunition, handheld weapons, as well as uniforms and gear used by old sailors.

Another area houses rooms displaying various ship components and workshops where ships were constructed. You’ll see sails, ropes, blacksmithing tools, and ship parts. The best-preserved parts of the ships Ntrasaa de Atocha and Santa Margarita are particularly fascinating.

One part of the museum that I would highly recommend is the rooms filled with ship models. It looks fantastic, and the precision with which some ships are made is difficult to describe. You’ll see the most important vessels that ever sailed the seas and oceans.

Thanks to the models gathered at The Cartagena Naval Museum, you’ll understand how effective warships have always been as weapons. From ancient galleys powered by three rows of oars, known as Triremes, which ruled the warm waters of the Mediterranean in their time, to massive British line-of-battle ships with up to a hundred cannons on board. All the way to gigantic American monitors and battleships operating off the coast of America during the Civil War.

Walking among the miniature ships allows you to embark on a journey through the entire history of human adventure with the sea. It’s a incredible experience, and I highly recommend it!

However, the biggest curiosity awaits you in a separate building that used to be a workshop and forge for ship repairs in Cartagena. Today, this place has been refurbished to house the restored Peral submarine, which I mentioned earlier. In addition to the submarine itself, you’ll see architectural plans, hand-drawn illustrations, letters, and tools used during its construction.

In the further part of the building, you’ll find photographs and plans of other Spanish submarines, as well as materials describing the lives of sailors on board these cramped and perilous vessels. Service required not only skill and teamwork but also above-average courage and perhaps a touch of madness.

Visiting The Cartagena Naval Museum turned out to be a great adventure, and I’m certain that even if you’re not particularly interested in military history, you’ll find something captivating there.

I’ve always loved the sea and everything associated with people’s presence on the vast waters of the world. The Naval Museum in Cartagena is definitely worth a visit, and I highly recommend it.

The Cartagena Naval Museum Facts and Information

• Year of Establishment: The Naval Museum Cartagena was founded in 1986.
• Location: It is located in the heart of the port of Cartagena, making it easily accessible to visitors.
• Opening Hours: The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This provides a good opportunity to plan a daytime visit and explore other attractions in Cartagena.
• Ticket Price: The ticket price for a visit to the museum was a few euros (3 euros at the time of our visit). This is a relatively small fee for access to such a rich collection.
• Museum Address: The museum is located at Paseo de Alfonso XII, frente Dársena Botes. Antiguo CIM 30205 CARTAGENA.
• Rich Collection: The museum houses over 3,000 exhibits, constituting an impressive collection related to the history of the Spanish Navy.
• First Torpedoes: Some valuable exhibits include the first torpedoes with their propulsion, which were used for the first time on Spanish submarines.
• Treasures from Nuestra Señora de Atocha: The museum also contains artefacts such as cannons and other parts from the Spanish ship Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank off the coast of Florida in 1610 with a giant cargo of silver, gold, coins, and precious stones. The ship was discovered by treasure hunter Mel Fisher in 1985, and its history is fascinating. The wreck and treasures can be viewed at the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum in Key West, Florida.
• Fortress Castillo de Galeras: Standing in front of the museum building facing the port, you can see the impressive fortress Castillo de Galeras in the distance, which is another worthwhile attraction to visit in Cartagena.
• The Naval Museum Cartagena is a captivating place that offers insight into the history of the Spanish Navy and has many interesting exhibits to explore.
• On our website, you will find other articles in which we talk about the attractions of this part of Spain;

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