History

It was at the end of the 19th century when shipbuilding and repair activity reached its peak. Between 1863 and 1872, 267 ships were built in Mallorca, totaling 5,729 tons. During those years, Palma had as many as ten shipyards, and the neighborhood of Santa Catalina became the cradle of the finest carpenters and sailors for the fleet

Of the numerous fleet that existed in the mid-20th century, only the schooners “Cala Virgili” (“Le Marsellois”), “Cala Millor”, currently in Ibiza, and “Cala San Vicente”, now “Santa Eulalia” in Barcelona, remain afloat today.

The ships that brought the greatest fame to the Mallorcan shipyards were the schooners. These wooden vessels, about 30 meters in length, were built for cargo traffic with the mainland and accounted for much of the shipbuilding activity from the late 19th century until the 1930s. In the early years, they were sailing ships, to which a propulsion engine was later installed.

In November 1943, the keel of a wooden-hulled coastal vessel was laid for the shipowner Vicente Enseñat. On December 24 of the following year, it was launched under the name «Miramar».

Two schooners on the slipways, one of them being the «Playa Grande» of Naviera Ciudadelana S.A. It was one of the seven motor-sailers that made up their fleet at that time.

Until the 1970s, the number of maritime accidents was very high. Both mechanical failures in propulsion equipment and problems arising from navigation itself, with inadequate signaling, led to numerous groundings and sinkings. This created a salvage activity in which Astilleros de Palma, led by Master Nicolau, specialized, an activity that lasted nearly 40 years.

Astilleros de Palma built four wooden boats to recover torpedoes for the Navy. The submarines conducted training exercises with unloaded torpedoes along predetermined courses, which were then retrieved by these boats.

One of the last maritime accidents affecting the local fleet was the grounding of the motor vessel “Cala D’Or” at Punta Arabí on October 8, 1971. The ship had been delivered four months earlier and was the most modern Roll-on/Roll-off vessel in the national fleet.

Since its inception, repair work, both for local shipping companies and for Navy vessels based in Porto Pi, became an essential source of income for the shipyard.

Steel and wooden ships share the slipways with newly built vessels, which gradually replaced repair work as the shipyard’s main activity.

“Ciudadela”, a 39-meter-long vessel, was stranded on June 17, 1948. The ship had been built by Murdoch & Murray in 1896 and operated the Ciudadela–Alcudia route for the Mahonesa de Navegación company.

These were the swinging bollards used to adjust their angle to match the shape of each ship’s bilge.

Between 1957 and 1961, six identical vessels were built for Naviera Mallorquina, each with a displacement of 1,029 tons, 54 meters in length, 9 meters in beam, and 5.4 meters in depth.

In 1958, the "Cala Blanca" was launched for Naviera Mallorquina, the first steel ship built, and the first of a series of six fruit transport vessels: Cala Blanca, Cala Nova, Cala Figuera, Cala Ras, Cala Valldemosa, and Cala Antena.

In 1959, the “Cala Nova” and “Cala Figuera” were delivered; in 1960, the “Cala Ras” and “Cala Valldemosa”; and on November 19, 1961, the last of the series, the “Cala Antena”. For years, Naviera Mallorquina operated the coastal route from Genoa to Lisbon, calling at the most important intermediate ports.

In 1961, the “Salinero”, with a displacement of 2,359 tons, was built for the shipping company Costeros de Levante. Subsequently, four refrigerated vessels of 2,250 tons displacement were constructed for the same company; these later became the property of Pescanova under the names “Pontevedra”, “Coruña”, “Lugo”, and “Orense.”

In September 1965, as part of Spain’s trade agreement with Cuba, the refrigerated vessel “Las Mercedes” was delivered. This 76-meter ship, capable of freezing 25 tons of fish per day, was of the same design as the previous vessels built for Pescanova. It was one of the last projects constructed at La Pedrera.

Since the early years of the shipyard, recreational and racing boats have been built. Between 1942 and 1958, 27 snipes were constructed, which took part in local regattas.

The “Thirla” and later the “Artemisa” were the first two wooden-hulled motor yachts built at the shipyard.

Astilleros de Palma’s first participation in a fair showcased the many facets of its activity, which included shipping operations.

The largest sailing yacht built at the shipyard was the three-masted schooner “Jessica.” Measuring 61.8 meters in length, it was the largest schooner constructed in Europe since 1927, the year the “Creole” was built (which would later become a regular client of the shipyard).

A few years later, construction of the Seafront Promenade began, which from the 1950s extended toward Porto Pi. This forced the shipyard to build a swing bridge to allow shipyard launches, temporarily interrupting traffic, which was very limited at the time.

In 1957, the first section of the Paseo Marítimo was completed, forcing the shipyard to use a swing bridge to continue launching its vessels, a maneuver that halted traffic on the boulevard.

Perhaps the launch is the most significant commemorative event in a shipyard, and without a doubt, it is for the life of a ship. It may or may not be accompanied by a religious ceremony, but there is always a sponsor to whom the ship will feel connected for its entire life.

The celebration includes not only the shipowner and their guests but also the entire shipyard staff.

Launch of the “Cala Figuera.” The shipyard tug waits to pass a line and assist in docking the newly launched vessel. An aircraft carrier of the Sixth Fleet is anchored in the bay, along with a cruise ship inside the port.

In 1967, on the 25th anniversary of the shipyard, agreements were finalized for the relocation of the facilities to Muelle Quay, its current location.

En 1967 se cambió el nombre de Astilleros de Palma por el actual, inaugurándose las nuevas instalaciones. Junto a los astilleros Ballester y Naviera Mallorquina, se fundó Astilleros de Mallorca.

The new shipyard features four slipways with a capacity of up to 1.700 t and a 100-meter outfitting quay, enabling entry into the merchant shipbuilding market without the length and beam limitations of the old shipyard.

In this new phase, LPG carriers, product tankers, fishing vessels, tugboats, passenger ships, RoRo vessels, container ships, and a hospital ship were built, all combined with the repair of the local fleet, including both merchant vessels and yachts.

The hospital ship, named “Esperanza del Mar,” built for the Instituto Social de la Marina and delivered in 1981, served for 30 years in the Saharan fishing grounds, providing 75,000 medical assists to 3,400 vessels and rescuing 1.720 shipwrecked people.

In 1975, construction began on the first modern motor yacht, a 43-meter vessel for the Gulf company, designed by Charles E. Nicholson. It currently sails under the name “Berzinc.”

Between 1981 and 1984, the shipyard experienced its peak period of activity as a shipbuilder. Of the six vessels delivered, the first was the three-masted schooner “Jessica,” which marked a milestone in Mallorcan shipbuilding history as the largest sailing ship ever constructed there.

This project was followed by five freezer trawlers for Mexican shipowners and a 114-meter-long LPG vessel with a 16-meter beam and 5,700 GT, which became the largest ship ever built at the shipyard.

The “Isla de Mallorca” ferry, built in 1974 to serve the Strait route, later became the first ferry to connect the ports of Denia and Sant Antoni daily, with a capacity of 452 passengers and 30 vehicles.

For Naviera Mallorquina, the “Cala d’Or” was built in 1971, which ran aground and was lost a few months later; the “Cala Marsal”, built the same year; and the “Cala Llonga” in 1972. These Roll-on/Roll-off vessels were pioneers that revolutionized maritime transport in the islands in the early 1970s.

With the construction of the LPG “Butaonce”, and amid the decline of European shipbuilding, a period began in which financial problems brought the shipyard to the brink of closure.

It was at this time that Jesús Freire and Fernando Santodomingo became the new owners, both with extensive experience in shipbuilding and with their own shipyards in the Ría de Vigo.

In 1992, a change occurred that would transform the shipyard’s future: the decision to abandon merchant shipbuilding and focus exclusively on the yacht market, particularly on repair and refit.

In 1995, the motor yacht “Aldonza”, a 32-meter vessel designed by W. de Vries Lentsch, was delivered; it would be the last yacht fully built at the shipyard.

Yachts gradually increased in length, and the slipway capacity reached its limit on several projects. Extensive refit work was carried out on both sailing and motor vessels.

They stood out for their complexity “Blue Attraction”, “Passion” which involved a complete two-year reconstruction and redesign, “No lo Se”, and recently “Big Change” and “Cocoa Bean”

It was also during this period that the shipyard entered the classic yacht restoration market, another area that brought the shipyard international recognition due to the quality of its woodwork, which was put to the test with the restoration of the schooner “Creole,” originally built in 1927.

In 2007, the magazine Boat International awarded Astilleros de Mallorca with the "Best Refit of the Year" award for the complete reconstruction of the 1938-built yacht "Blue Bird", highlighting the shipyard’s expertise in refit and repair.

In 2007, the reconstruction of the yacht “Hispania” was carried out. This 15-meter international class yacht, originally built in Pasajes in 1909, was King Alfonso XIII’s most important racing yacht. The meticulous restoration work took three years, during which the construction techniques of the period were documented and new professionals were trained in this type of work.