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This year is the 80th anniversary of the creation in 1936, by the Basque Government, of the Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi.  Juan Azkarate, its last living member, will be honored, at the age of 94, at the Naval Museum in Donostia as part of the program organized by the Naval Museum and the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa with the collaboration of the Association Matxitxako-Matxitxako Elkartea.

Donostia-San Sebastian.   This month marks the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi, and its last living member, Juan Azkarate, will be honored this morning at 11:30am, a tribute at the heart of the events organized for the anniversary.  Born in Bermeo, Juan Azkarate Araucua was second waiter and assistant machine gunner on the Araba at the age of 14. He is the last living member of the Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi - Euzkadiko Gudontzidia.

At the event, the work of Juan Pardo San Gil, historian who passed away in 2013 will also be mentioned. His research focused on maritime history, especially the naval forces as he was a regular collaborator at the Untzi Museoa – Naval Museum. His daughter, Oihane Pardo has worked on disseminating her father’s work, for example through the Euzkadiko Gudontzidia Exhibit inaugurated last year at the Shanghai Euskal Etxea.

Denis Itxaso, Provincial Deputy of Culture in Gipuzkoa will take part in the event; also Jaime del Rio, representing the Matxitxako Elkartea; and Soco Romano, director of the Untzi Museoa – Naval Museum of Donostia.

In order to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi, and pay tribute to those who served in this arm of the navy, the Untzi Museoa – Naval Museum in collaboration with the Matxitxako Elkartea is carrying out a series of events at the museum.  One of these will take palce this morning with Juan Azkarate in attendance.

Euzkadiko Gudontzidia. The Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi (1936-1939)

The Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi was one of the most unique forces and less-known of all that participated in the Civil War from 1936-1939.  It depended entirely on the Basque Government that also gave it great political significance.  It was created in October 1936, by the Ministry of Defense of the Basque Government to help the Republican Navy in protecting maritime traffic and fishing in local waters, as well as keeping Basque ports free of underwater mines.  The political and military circumstances of the conflict, especially the fact that the north was isolated form the rest of the relevant government, the underperformance of the Republican Cantabrian Sea Naval Forces, which generated considerable tension between the headquarters of both forces and resulted in a mutual mistrust and personality of the head of the Auxiliary Navy, Joaquin de Egia, led this naval force to acquire an organic and absolute operational autonomy from the Republican Navy.  

To organize this auxiliary force, Egia converted a number of fishing ships into “warships” that were in Bilbao, without an occupation.  The majority of these had come in the evacuation of Pasaia.  He endowed them with artillery, and in some cases (armed trawlers) or gear for tracing underwater mines in others (minesweepers).  All ships were painted lead gray, with black bows, with the initial of its name, or corresponding numeral; Ikurriña hosted at the bow and the Republican tricolor flag on its stern.

The main nucleus of the Auxiliary Navy was comprised of armed vessels.  The first selected were four cod fishing vessels from the PYSBE company in Pasaia, Mistral, Vendaval, Euzkal-Erria and Hispania were re-baptized by the Basque Government in December with the names Gipuzkoa, Nabarra, Bizkaya and Araba, respectively.  These ships were incorporated ahead of the other smaller ones, the Donostia, Goizeko-Izarra, Iparreko-Izarra, Gazteiz, Iruña…

The crews were made up of volunteers that came from the merchant marine and fishing.  The majority of them from ELA-STV or the PNV, but there was also a large group of members from the socialist party or the UGT, or smaller groups from the CNT, ANV, and the Communist Party of the Republican Left. Eighty seven percent of the volunteers were Basque, but there was also a large group from Galicia, and some from Andalucía, Cantabria, Asturias, Castile, Murcia, Madrid, Catalonia, and Aragon.  In all, 917 men, and three women served in the Euzkadi Navy, and 62 died in action.

The Untzi Museoa-Naval Museum organized the exhibit, “Euzkadiko Gudontzidia. The Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi (1936-39)” in 1998 with the collaboration of Juan Pardo and published a book by the same title show author was Juan Pardo San Gil.  The book was re-published in 2008.  These initiatives included a fundamental contribution of the knowledge and recognition of the Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi.  The exhibit held at the Untzi Museoa was the first done on this topic.