The submarine Gale The submarine S-71 docked this Sunday at the Portopí naval base in Palma, after participating in a series of military exercises in the Mediterranean with other Navy units. During the maneuvers, the S-71 simulated the mining of maritime areas and the protection of shipping lanes, tasks in which submarines excel due to their discretion and versatility. Built at the Bazán National Shipyard in Cartagena and incorporated into the fleet in 1983, the Gale It is the first submarine of its class and has accumulated more than forty years of active service, including missions under the command of the EU and NATO.

Two US Navy helicopters made a stopover this Friday at the Son Sant Joan air base in Palma, after arriving from Marseille. They are two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters – serial numbers 168158 and 168167 – belonging to HSM-79 squadron, a unit usually deployed at the Rota naval base in Cádiz. The aircraft, which specialize in naval missions such as anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance, remained in Mallorca for several hours before resuming their flight to the Spanish mainland, with their final destination being Almería. The stop was reportedly due to technical issues during the flight, after a descent was detected while they were flying towards Palma from southern France.

The first victims of the July 1936 coup were not civilians, but military personnel who refused to support their fellow rebels. Among them were two men from Mallorca, Pau Ferrer Madariaga and Josep Rotger Canals. Information is only available about the former. Born in Inca in 1896, Ferrer entered the Salamanca Military Academy at the age of 16 and in 1916 was assigned to Melilla, which had been part of the Spanish protectorate of Morocco since 1912. In 1936, the man from Inca was commander of the Ceuta Light Infantry Battalion. He closely followed the new course that the Second Republic took in February with the victory of the Popular Front. In Madrid, tensions began to rise on July 13 with the assassination of the monarchist deputy José Calvo Sotelo. Former Minister of Finance during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930), Calvo Sotelo was one of the most combative right-wing leaders against the new government of Manuel Azaña. He was assassinated in revenge for the death the day before of Lieutenant José del Castillo, a well-known socialist, at the hands of far-right gunmen. Four days later, everything exploded.

The anticipation surrounding the Air Force's performance has caused kilometers-long traffic jams on the Manacor road near Son Ferriol and Casa Blanca. As a result, access to and from the motorway have also been affected, leading to traffic chaos this Saturday morning. Hundreds of cars turned out this Saturday to see the military display taking place at the Son Sant Joan air base. This, combined with the rain, caused a traffic jam from Palma towards Manacor, according to the Civil Guard. In addition to the traffic jams, Palma airport has temporarily suspended operations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Son Sant Joan air base. Air operations, Aena reported, will be halted between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

On one of their trips in search of antiques, Daniel Cota and Miquel Fuster visited a friend's house in Jerez de la Frontera. Daniel intended to buy everything his friend had offered, but when it came down to it, "he didn't want to sell anything," he says. Rather than return empty-handed, the two Mallorcans asked their friend to sell them something. Fuster bought a gramophone for 450 pesetas, and Cota bought a 150-peseta jug. "And we made a promise that neither of us would sell it. And that's how we'll die. Miguel with the gramophone and me with the jug," he says, placing his hand on Miquel's shoulder.

Between August 10 and 16, a section of the Spanish Army belonging to the Palma 47 Regiment will deploy patrols in Ibiza to conduct "reconnaissance, both on foot and on vehicles, in different areas of the island." On this occasion, the soldiers will carry out presence, surveillance, and deterrence missions at different points in the municipalities of San Antonio de Portmany, San José de Sa Atalaya, and the city of Ibiza.