Not Spain's most popular submarine
The USS San Juan, a rather sizeable Los Angeles class submarine has docked in Gib, and oh how Spanish nationalists and tree-huggers are upset about it, judging from a report in El Pais:
"The general secretary of the Andalusian Popular Party, Antonio Sanz, described the docking of the USS San Juan as a “mockery and a bad joke”.
And here it is, c/o a doughboy who posted it on Flickr:
They are a bit sensitive, aren't they? Last time I checked Spain was part of NATO, there was a US/Spanish naval base at Rota, and Spain has nuclear power stations, if neither nuclear powered submarines nor nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Rather splendidly, the Spanish Navy is more properly called the Armada Española, or Spanish Armada. Yes, really.
"The general secretary of the Andalusian Popular Party, Antonio Sanz, described the docking of the USS San Juan as a “mockery and a bad joke”.
And here it is, c/o a doughboy who posted it on Flickr:
They are a bit sensitive, aren't they? Last time I checked Spain was part of NATO, there was a US/Spanish naval base at Rota, and Spain has nuclear power stations, if neither nuclear powered submarines nor nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Rather splendidly, the Spanish Navy is more properly called the Armada Española, or Spanish Armada. Yes, really.
Labels: Cant, matters military, Spain
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on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at 8:49 am.
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Well, the Spanish must be self-mocking by calling their navy the Spanish Armada. A fellow member of the EU still laying claim to British Territory - even the Republic of Ireland did away with articles 2 & 3 of their constitution which claimed Northern Ireland. The Spanish still don't recognise the 97% of Gibraltarians who voted against union with Spain.
But "armada" is the Spanish for navy/fleet, what else are they going to call it?
We know 1588 as The Spanish Armada but I bet they call it something else.
And since when did left-wing anti-Americans behave logically?
Rather suspect that this Armada might be a little harder to beat, bowls or no bowls.
Issues of Gib to one side, I rather like Spain and the Spanish, although I wish they still had Aznar running the show. So, let us hope we do not come to blows.
"And since when did left-wing anti-Americans behave logically?"
Since never of course, but the person complaining about it here is from the Popular Party, which is the main right wing party.
*blushes*
"We know 1588 as The Spanish Armada but I bet they call it something else."
Yes ...The Sunk Spanish Armada!
Surely part of the Spanish complaint is that the vessel is named for a U.S. victory in the 1898 war…with Spain. Ok, I realize the sub is actually named after the city rather than the battle itself but still. Imagine the HMS Waterloo docking at Le Harve. How do you think the frogs would take that?
Mike - Good point, and I had got half way to that thought without actually locking it down.
Still, as I have noted before, we do make the French arrive at London Waterloo...
I'm a little late to the party, but I thought the 1588 Spanish Armada *was* the Spanish submarine fleet.
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