The deputy delegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, attended this morning the events of celebration of the handover of command of the 31st Surface Squadron that took place on board the Combat Supply Vessel “Patiño”, in Ferrol.
The captain of Fragata Jesús González-Cela Franco replaces in the position the captain of Navío Jesús Viñas Barciela. González-Cela assumed command in an act presided over by the Admiral of Ferrol’s Arsenal, Vicente Rubio Bolívar, and attended by the Chief Admiral of Logistical Support, Ignacio Frutos Ruíz, and the Chief of Staff of the Fleet, Santiago Vila Barrón, among other authorities.
The deputy delegate of the Government wished González-Cela “many successes in this new stage at the head of the Squadron” and thanked “the work and commitment of the Navy, with defense, security and international cooperation, as well as its historical and current link with the city of Ferrol.” He also acknowledged the work done by Viñas Barciela in his years at the head of the Escuadrilla in Ferrol.
María Rivas also highlighted “the strategic importance of the 31st Surface Squadron in the naval field, both for its operational capabilities and for its contribution to the prestige of the Spanish Navy”, and recognized “the exemplary work of the men and women who make it up”.
31st Surface Squadron
The base of the 31st Surface Squadron is in the Military Arsenal of Ferrol. It consists of seven ships, five F-100 and the two logistic ships of the Spanish Navy, Cantabria and Patiño. They are ships of modern design and remarkable military capabilities, with which the Navy contributes to achieve the required National Defense objectives.
Its ability to present itself in all kinds of scenarios, with the security provided by its AEGIS combat system, makes it an invaluable tool at the service of the foreign policy of the Government of Spain, not only through conventional operations, but also in missions of peace, humanitarian aid, imposition of U.N. resolutions. etc.
Photo, from left to right: Santiago Vila Barrón, commander of the 31st Squadron between 2019 and 2021; Jesús Viñas Barciela, outgoing commander; Rosa María Martínez, councillor for Social Policy and Inclusion; María Rivas, deputy delegate of the Government in A Coruña; Vicente Rubio, Admiral of the Arsenal of Ferrol; and Jesús González-Cela Franco, new commander of the 31st Squadron.