Naval submarine for Port of Soller will be a new tourist attraction

Joan Collins THE Port of Soller will shortly take delivery of a submarine of the “Dolphin” series, donated to it by the Spanish Navy. It will be moored at the dock where the emblematic naval base building is now being demolished. Thesubmarine will shortly be withdrawn from service and moved to its new home in the port, Port de Soller where it will become “another tourist attraction” for the town, together with the Maritime Museum. The Mayor of Soller, Carlos Simarro, announced that this submarine will make a journey to the Port in March, before being retired from service. The submarine, which is 60 years old and still in service, is 60 metres long and seven metres wide. It will remain moored in the dock as a monument to the Naval Submarine Arms School which used to be in the town. Simarro emphasised the great value of the submarine as a point of attraction for visitors to the town. He pointed out that the town of Torrevieja, which has had an S-61 “Dolphin” class submarine in its dock for two years, has received 150'000 visitors during this time. In the past Soller had a Submarine Arms School (mines and torpedoes). This year will also be the 60th anniversary of the shipwreck of a submarine 15 nautical miles (some 30 kilometres) off Sa Calobra. This submarine was crewed by submariners from the Soller school. “It will be a good homage to the memory of these sailors, who died carrying out their jobs on the submarine. “It is also a good image for this dock, as it will serve to honour the Soller Naval Submarine Arms School”, said Simarro. Near to the dock where the submarine will lie, a building of one floor will be constructed which will occupy 13 percent of the dock area. This is one of two buildings which will replace the one now being demolished. It will house the offices of the fish market, a storage place for nets used by the fishermen, and the fish market. Also, there will be a new building six metres high which will house the Port Authority offices. Both will be constructed by the company “Nuevos Puertos Deportivas” who will construct a building similar to the one already there but, according to a company spokesman, it will be more functional and not so tall. Behind the new building there will be a central open corridor with a structure nine metres high, and this will be the service point. “The project is excellent. We need the port to be one of the engines of growth for the town's economy”, said Simarro. He complained that in the last 50 years “nothing has been done” in the Port. “Our commitment is to the tourist sector, the nautical sector, professional fishermen and residents who live in the vicinity. “The result will be a much better area, more orderly, clean, and fit for everyone” explained Mayor Simarro. He also commented that those who would benefit most would be the professionals in the area who would have better services. Commenting on the new buildings, he said that one of them would have a restaurant. The other, in addition to house the Port Captain's office, will have radio communication services, commercial premises related to nautical services, a meteorological service office, the sailing school and a Guardia Civil post. There will also be a multi-purpose room which could be used for exhibitions, amongst other things. The budget for all this is 7.5 million euros.