The comprehensive restoration project of the "Correillo de La Palma," a cultural project for the salvation of a ship loaded with history and an example of how to recover our historical naval legacy

The emblematic maritime transport between the Canary Islands, continues to be commanded by the Correíllo La Palma Foundation, which presides the practical of Tenerife, Juan Pedro Morales Chacón, with the collaboration of the Harbour Authority, the Cabildo of Tenerife and other private and public institutions. During 2016, guided tours of groups that want to know the interior of the ship that in the day belonged to the fleet of the TransMediterranean Company have begun. For the next year, once the ship in its new attraction in the Tierfeño port, the Foundation hopes to significantly increase the individual and collective visits, both in the port of Tenerife and in the Canary ports whose visits will be scheduled in the future. The aim is to show the ship to a million people in 2017.

The Correillo La Palma could reach a speed of 11 knots and carry up to 196 passengers, as well as a crew of half a hundred members. It was built thanks to the best technological advances of the moment and thus it had rigged steel helmet, two decks and a propeller. Despite its smaller dimensions, its design was similar to the Titanic. It was militarized during the Civil War, although after its completion it recovered the inter-island routes. Throughout his history, he was subjected to works to achieve higher speeds but in 1976 he was removed from service. A year later, it was acquired by Jürgen Flick to turn it into a casino and a floating restaurant but a legal problem misrepresented its plans. In 1985, before selling it for scrapping, it was offered to the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for free but never received any response. Later he offered it to the Cabildo de Tenerife that he did agree to take over the ship as he wanted to transform it into a museum of canary navigation. In 1986, El Correíllo La Palma arrived at the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where it still remains, surviving over the years thanks to the invaluable work of the Canary Foundation created for that purpose. Yesterday, this ship, the Titanic coetany, blew 104 candles. Hundreds of people visit him every year, even though his restoration has not been completed and that shows that, as Damian García likes to think, the history of canarian navigation, far from being lost, is on the agenda.

http: / / www.correillolapalma.com /