The whaler San Juan is in Pasaia Bay ready to make history

The ship San Juan,  replicaof the sixteenth century Basque whaler aro, began this Friday at sea a new , after the completion of theterrestrial construction phase , marking a milestone for the international maritime heritage.

The project, which has required a broad human infrastructure capable of reactivating almost extinct professions such as river carpentry, blacksmiths, grasslands or cordelerías, has been developed before the public in a living space for research, dissemination and transmissionof knowledge. The construction of this replica combines traditional shipbuilding with rigorous research into the Basque marine technology of the Renaissance.

President Imanol Pradales has stressed that, beyond a ship, it is a work of art that looks at it from the roots of our history: "It is a country project that symbolizes what we were, what we are and what we want to remain." He has also stressed that the Basques were pioneers in "developing an entire industry around the construction of ships and whaling." "That was our level of specialization, and laws were enacted to prevent foreign powers from hiring Basque professionals."

The event was also attended by the President ofAlbaola, Xabier Agote ; the General Representative of Gipuzkoa, Eider Mendoza; the Government Delegate to the Basque Country, Marisol Garmendia ; the President of the Basque Parliament, Bakartxo Tejería; the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano ; the President of the Canary Islands;

Gipuzkoa MP EiderMendoza has been excited to "see in reality this dream" that many people have managed to realize. Mendoza has thanked all the people who have participated in this project and has stressed that it allows us to deepen values and history through innovation, ambition, work, courage and cooperation.

On the other hand, Xabier Agote, president of the non-profit association Albaola, has been pleased and has highlighted the work of these years: "It has been a great challenge not only because of the construction of this ship, but also because of the reconstruction of the maritime history of the Basque Country." Agote has stressed that they have not yet finished all the work because there is still a lack of masts, fabrics and other details\u00A0.

The San Juana basket was discovered in 1978 in Red Bay , Labrador, Canada, thanks to research by historian Selma Huxley and campaigns by the Parks Canada Underwater Archaeology Service, led by Robert Grenier. Thanks to the study and cataloguing of thousands of pieces, the 16th century helmet and construction techniques were accurately defined, and San Juana became an international reference in underwater archaeology.