Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate Méndez Núñez (F-104) of Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola) returned to home port Ferrol after completing a 7-month circumnavigation of the world sailing about 90,000 kilometers (appx 48565 nautical miles).
She was welcomed with ceremony and the Minister of Defense of Spain, Margarita Robles, travelled yesterday to Ferrol to attend welcome ceremony. She was accompanied by the State Secretary of Defense, Angel Olivares, and by the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy, Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, among other authorities.
Robles told the attending reporters that she wanted to personally welcome the frigate and congratulate all the crew and her commander for ‘having flown the ensign of the Spanish Armed Forces and that of the Navy all over the world on a peace mission, serving Spain as only they know how to do it’.
The ‘Méndez Núñez’ departed from Ferrol on April 12 to commemorate the 5th Centenary of the first circumnavigation of the world (the Magellan-Elcano expedition). During this world cruise that lasted for 232 days, the Spanish frigate carried out different naval operations and maneuvers with units from other naval services.
The minister embarked and addressed the crew to thank them for the work done and congratulate them for the hard months of navigation. The frigate departed with 214 servicemen and returned with 208, although up to 250 people participated in the different stages of the deployment. Around 20% of the crew were women.
