The launching and characteristics of the Spanish submarine 'Narciso Monturiol' S-82

This afternoon, the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena was the scene of a new milestone for Spanish shipbuilding.

The Spanish Navy shows off the inside of its submarine 'Isaac Peral' in a 360-degree video
The test firing of the Spanish submarine 'Isaac Peral' S-81 with its torpedo tubes

Navantia today held the launching ceremony of the second Spanish submarine of the "Isaac Peral" class, also known as the S-80. This is the "Narciso Monturiol" S-82, named after the engineer and inventor Narciso Monturiol Estarriol (1819-1885) born in Figueras (Girona) and designer of the "Ictíneo I", the first civil submarine, made of wood and measuring 7 meters in length, created for coral fishing and which had a short life (1859-1862), characterized by its designer's special concern for safety.

The S-82 is the fourth Spanish submarine to bear the name of Narciso Monturiol. The previous ones were the A-1 (1917–1934), the S-33 (1972–1977), and the S-35 (1974–1984). The S-82 is the first submarine to bear the name of this inventor to be built in Spain, as the A-1 was built in Italy, and the S-33 and S-35 were former American submarines used in World War II.

This official launching ceremony was carried out without the submarine touching the water, as the process will take place on a floating dock, a process that takes several hours and will be carried out at the shipyard in the coming weeks. Isabel López, wife of the Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD), acted as the submarine's godmother, cutting the ribbon that triggers the bottle to break on the ship's hull. You can watch the video broadcast of the ceremony here:

Construction of the S-82 began on December 13, 2007, but was subject to the same delays that also plagued the first submarine of its class, the S-81 "Isaac Peral." The S-82 was originally scheduled to be launched in late 2024, but has been delayed for almost a year.

The S-82 is 81.05 meters long, 7.3 meters wide, and has a draft of 6.02 meters. Its displacement is 3,200 tons surfaced and 3,700 tons submerged. It has a range of between 50 and 60 days surfaced and between 20 and 30 days submerged. Its crew will consist of 32 people: 3 officers, 4 non-commissioned officers, and 25 sailors. It can also transport 8 marines on missions with the Special Naval Warfare Force (FGNE), the elite unit of the Spanish Navy.

Like the S-81, the "Narciso Monturiol" has six 533 mm torpedo tubes, capable of launching DM2/A4, Black Shark, Mark 48, Spearfish, and Torpedo 2000 heavy torpedoes. These submarines also have the capacity to launch UGM-109 Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles, but at the moment the Spanish government has no plans to purchase them. The S-80s will foreseeably carry the Norwegian-made Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missiles.

Another notable aspect is that, like the first submarine of its class, the S-82 does not have the Anaerobic Propulsion System (AIP) installed, which would allow for much quieter navigation while submerged. This system is planned to be factory-installed on the last two submarines of this class, the "Cosme García" S-83 and the "Mateo García de los Reyes" S-83. Both the S-81 and the S-82 will receive the AIP during their first careening, in a few years. The S-82's careening was scheduled for 2031.

Spain is one of the few countries in the world with the capacity to build its own submarines, a fact that places our country in a select club of nations when it comes to its naval industry. Something similar can be said of aircraft carriers and frigates. Taking this capability into account, and taking advantage of the new NATO scenario with greater investment in defense, the ideal would be a larger submarine fleet. The Spanish Navy has been indicating for years that its ideal fleet would be eight submarines, but right now it only has two.

+ UPDATED 10/4/2025 5:52 PM: The Spanish Navy has published an excellent video today on the occasion of the launching of this submarine, recalling the reason for the existence of ships like this one (the video is in Spanish, you can activate automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):

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Images: Navantia / Ministerio de Defensa.