He is the last of his line. He served for more than 60 years before a breakdown permanently removed him from his important work, that of communicating the Islands with each other and with the Peninsula carrying merchandise, passengers and postal mail. The Correillo La Palma turned 110 years old yesterday and did so supported by all the administrations that support the Foundation that bears his name and whose commitment is none other than to give this ship the place that corresponds to it, a benchmark of military historical heritage in Spain, given that it is the last ship of vapor of this type that is still afloat.
The event held yesterday in the Correíllo La Palma itself served to present a book, edited by Yuri Millares, under the title of I went in the Correíllo, in which numerous anecdotes of the travelers who sailed the seas are collected.
Before, the president of the Foundation, Juan Pedro González, thanked the administrations for their response, thanks to whose support they have managed to rehabilitate the ship, with the only thing missing now is recovering the bridge and sealing the windows of the ship so that it becomes a floating museum. “Meanwhile, this year we will start up the project for the Interpretation Center of the Correillo La Palma, which we trust will be ready next year, and in which we will deposit all the documentation and the history behind this boat”. A space that, at the moment, is being studied to house it in the area of the old Jet Foil station.
The official chronicler of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Ledesma, made a journey through the history of the ship, recalling that the anniversary is celebrated on April 12, because that day, in 1912, it began its navigation tests. After Ledesma, the president of the Tertulia Amigos del 25 de Julio, Luis García Rebollo, intervened, delving into the history of navigation in the Islands.
The first vice president of the Cabildo, Enrique Arriaga, recalled that last year the Cabildo contributed 400,000 euros, and this year another 200,000, to finish the repair of the ship. “The completion of the command bridge and the sealing of the window gates will go out to tender shortly.” He requested the collaboration of the Port to locate the ship in another place, when it is finished, that facilitates public access.
The mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, referred to the Correíllo as a “symbol” of the historical and cultural heritage of the city, “as important as the Farola del Mar or the Marquesina, symbols of what we want the new generations to know ”, he added.
The last to intervene was the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, who advocated supporting projects such as the Correíllo La Palma Foundation, and defended the need to conserve “the only ship of these characteristics that exists in Spain.”
After a short break, the act continued with the presentation of the book by its author, who addressed the content of a publication that delves into the history of the ship, with testimonies from travelers but also from the sailors who handled it sailing between the Islands and also with the Spanish Sahara. The celebration ended with a performance by Chago Melián.
