As the afternoon sun set on Tuesday, October 20, over the Ferrol Naval Arsenal, the frigate F-101 Álvaro de Bazán docked at Pier 3, bringing to a close one of the Navy’s most ambitious deployments in recent times. It had set sail from Galician waters on May 12 and returned 161 days later, having covered 30,000 nautical miles—the equivalent of 1.3 trips around the world.
The voyage was much more than just a long sea journey. The Navy emphasizes that operating in the Indo-Pacific and the Pacific strengthens the national defense network and forges closer ties with allies. It also maintains that the protection of Spain’s supply lines and interests does not end at the borders of its territorial waters, but rather requires a credible and coordinated presence along the world’s major logistical and commercial routes. The frigate also joined multinational task forces that extend beyond the scope of NATO.
Hawaii: RIMPAC and a Real Harpoon
The first major event took place in the Hawaiian archipelago, where the ship represented Spain for the first time at RIMPAC 2026, the world’s largest international naval exercise. There, it conducted maneuvers alongside some 30 nations, 35 ships, 5 submarines, and more than 200 aircraft. During the at-sea phase, the frigate launched a live Harpoon missile in a controlled sinking exercise (SINKEX), coordinated with the Japanese destroyer JS Kongo.
Command Ship in Pacific Dragon 26
Later, the Álvaro de Bazán served as the command ship for Pacific Dragon 26, the biennial ballistic missile defense exercise. To that end, it hosted the commander and staff of Destroyer Squadron 31 (COMDESRON-31) of the U.S. Navy on board. In a highly technologically complex scenario, its AEGIS combat system demonstrated an outstanding ability to coordinate the detection and tracking of ballistic threats.
An Ambassador in Every Port
The deployment continued through South America, with participation in GALAPEX (Ecuador) and, subsequently, in UNITAS LXVII-2026 (Peru), the world’s oldest naval exercises. During this latter exercise, organized by the Peruvian Navy, the frigate successfully employed its main 5-inch gun in a SINKEX against the former amphibious ship B.A.P. Eten and carried out naval fire support missions in Salinas Bay. Before beginning the return voyage, the crew made a logistical stopover in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia).
Beyond its operational role, the frigate carried out important diplomatic and representational missions in every port it visited. These port calls strengthened international cooperation and reaffirmed one of the ship’s most significant missions: to project Spain’s image abroad and consolidate its presence in the global naval arena.
