Spain’s Ministry of Defence held the naming ceremony of the S-82 Narciso Monturiol submarine on October 3, 2025, at Navantia’s Cartagena shipyard, marking the completion of its final outfitting stage. The vessel, second in the S-80 class, will soon begin harbour and sea trials before entering active service with the Spanish Navy.
The ceremony, presided over by Defence Minister Margarita Robles, gathered top military and industry officials, including Chief of Defence Admiral Teodoro López Calderón and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral General Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez. The ship’s sponsor, Isabel López, carried out the traditional christening ritual, officially naming the submarine Narciso Monturiol.
Navantia executives emphasized that the S-80 programme represents a milestone for Spain’s defence and industrial sovereignty. According to Chief Operations Officer Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, the project strengthens national security, technological independence, and export competitiveness. It involves over 100 Spanish partner companies, sustaining around 6,000 jobs and generating an estimated €250 million annually for the national economy.
The S-82 Narciso Monturiol is 80.8 meters long, 7.3 meters in diameter, and displaces about 3,000 tonnes submerged. It is powered by Navantia’s BEST-AIP (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology – Air Independent Propulsion) system, which uses bioethanol fuel cells to generate electrical energy underwater. This allows the submarine to remain submerged for several weeks without surfacing, significantly increasing its stealth and endurance.
The submarine carries a crew of 32 and can embark eight special forces operators for covert operations. Equipped with an integrated combat and platform control system, advanced sonar, and an electronic warfare suite by Indra, it can dive beyond 300 meters and reach submerged speeds exceeding 19 knots.
The S-82 takes its name from Narciso Monturiol Estarriol, a 19th-century Catalan engineer who designed one of the earliest functional submarines, the Ictíneo, in 1859. The name honours his pioneering contributions to underwater navigation and Spanish maritime innovation.
The S-80 class, also known as the Isaac Peral class, comprises four submarines — Isaac Peral (S-81), Narciso Monturiol (S-82), Cosme García (S-83), and Mateo García de los Reyes (S-84) — all constructed by Navantia in Cartagena. Designed for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), special operations, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, the class will progressively replace Spain’s aging Galerna-class boats.
With its combination of advanced AIP propulsion, reduced acoustic and infrared signature, and cutting-edge sensors, the S-80 programme ensures Spain retains a modern, autonomous submarine fleet capable of meeting strategic demands well into the 2030s.
