The Gibraltar Museum preserves a flag with a lot of tradition. This is the tricolor of the destroyer José Luis Díez one of the ships of the Republican navy during the civil war. Her commander handed it over to workers from the TGWU union in gratitude for the selfless help they provided to repair the destroyer seriously damaged by the siege by the rebel fleet. How and why it ended up in the Peñón museum is the story that occupies this article. The year was . After its journey from the Cantabrian Sea passing through the English and French coast the destroyer José Luis Díez JLD intended to join the rest of the Republican fleet in Cartagena breaking the blockade of the rebellious Navy but it was intercepted in the Narrow and forced to take refuge in the Port of Gibraltar where it remained from August to December.
Shortly before in the French port of Le Havre Antonio Castro Izaguirre took command of the ship a young second lieutenant in who two years later was promoted to frigate captain. As Benito Sacaluga tells us in his article 'Castro Izaguirre a sailor loyal UAE Phone Number to the Republic' the sailor was tempted to desert on two occasions but he was firm in his desire not to betray the Republic. Commander and crew face harassment from the Francoist navy suffering casualties and serious damage. His “heroism” was recognized by the president of the Council of Ministers Juan Negrín in a congratulatory telegram to the crew. JLD During the almost four months that the JLD was docked in Gibraltar in a climate of solidarity between the Gibraltar people and the crew was forged.
Workers from the TGWU union helped to repair the ship in a selfless and clandestine manner disobeying the British authorities of the Rock who had ordered not to repair the ship. JLD The journalist Luis Romero collects in a work on the JLD the writing of the consul of the Republic in Gibraltar informing the Minister of State of the offer of the shipyard workers "to carry out all the repairs that the breakdowns may require suffered by the José Luis Díez in his glorious combat with the factional fleet doing the work if necessary overtime and without receiving any remuneration for it . " Ten days later on September the response from the Ministry of National Defense arrived thanking the arsenal workers for their offer to repair the José Luis Díez . click to enlarge the images.
发表于 2024-3-9 14:22:34
