The Record of Arms

11- The Spanish Civil War at Sea, Part One

Feb 09, 2020 Episode 11

Mark Seven

The naval aspects of the Spanish Civil War sometimes recieve little attention in military histories of the conflict. Despite this, the control of the waters surrounding the war-torn peninsula was vital to both sides of this bitter conflict. The battles in the Atlantic and Mediterranean the followed the military revolt and civil war drew in the navies of Europe and America into the theater, and threatened to engulf the entire continent in the war. This episode examines the Spanish Navy as it existed in the years preceding the war, the fleet and its major facilities, as well as the critical role the sailors would play in the initial weeks of the struggle.