00:14 Ladies and gentlemen passengers, please make yourselves comfortable in your seats.
00:18 In a few moments we are going to start a very special voyage on board this submarine.
00:23 which will take us to various points of the coast of San Sebastian, to the high seas and even
00:28 a... Well, there will also be some surprises.
00:32 The duration of this trip is estimated to be about 15 minutes.
00:39 But before we start, let's introduce ourselves.
00:42 We are in the Naval Museum of San Sebastian, a centre created by the Provincial Council of San Sebastian.
00:47 Foral de Guipúzcoa, which is dedicated to researching and disseminating the history and culture of the Naval Museum of San Sebastián.
00:51 related to the sea.
00:55 From here we are going to dive into the waters of the port of San Sebastian, a port which, in spite of
01:00 the reduced dimensions of its docks, has a fascinating history of
01:04 risks, adventures and hard work, similar to the one experienced in ports
01:08 neighbours.
01:12 And now let's batten down the hatches and start the dive.
01:16 Ready? Here we go!
01:19 Have a good trip. Don't forget to switch off your mobile phones in case you're expecting a call.
01:24 important...
01:48 As we cross the harbour to go out into the bay, you can see the hulls of the ships,
01:53 the moorings, the breakwaters and the seabed.
01:58 Wow, someone thought this was a rubbish dump.
02:01 By the way, this ship is equipped with robotic arms that will help us get to know
02:05 Kaixo, hello!.
02:10 Well, that works.
02:15 On our journey through the seafloor, we'll find eloquent traces that
02:19 tell us about the relationship between the Basque Country and the sea.
02:26 Without leaving the bay of La Concha, we can find the remains of hundreds of sunken ships.
02:31 years ago, such as é
02:36 This is known as the 'wreck of the clocks'.
02:44 From an early period in the Middle Ages, in the Bay of Biscay, there was an important
02:49 maritime culture that gave rise to the construction of vessels that reached a great
02:53 great prestige for their quality.
03:01 With oak from the Cantabrian forests and wrought iron from the nearby forges,
03:07 the carpenters of this coast built a great part of the ships of the race of
03:11 Indies and the Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries.
03:20 Is everything all right? Yes? Well, let's keep going.
03:29 This wreckage is from another ship that sank in the bay.
03:35 These metal bars, corroded by saltpetre and time, bear witness to the intense
03:39 maritime traffic of iron produced in the forges.
03:45 From the Middle Ages, Basque iron and Castilian wool arrived at the main ports of the
03:49 European markets in ships from Gipuzkoa and Biscay.
03:56 Textiles and foodstuffs were imported from Europe.
04:00 paper, books and works of art.
04:08 After the discovery of America, the Gipuzkoan and Biscayan iron and steel industry had in
04:12 the American colonies a monopoly market.
04:21 But to give you a better idea of how this activity was carried out in the American colonies, it was a monopoly market.
04:25 Basque ports, let's take a little trip...
04:28 In time. Ready?.
04:33 Beginning the ascent.
04:42 We are in San Sebastian, in the middle of the 18th century.
04:48 The city was living in a period of prosperity, thanks in large part to the success of the
04:52 the Royal Guipuzcoana Company of Caracas, a company that
04:57 was based in the subsidiary port of Pasaia.
05:02 The Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas took over the monopoly of trade with Venezuela,
05:08 from where it imported furs, tobacco, indigo, but above all, a very important product
05:12 cocoa.
05:19 The Consulate of San Sebastián, located in the current Plaza de la Constitución,
05:24 was the entity that grouped the interests of merchants, shipowners and seamen,
05:28 and played a very important role in the creation of this company.
05:33 Direct dependency of the consulate was this building, remember?
05:38 Indeed, the tower house where today the Naval Museum is housed was the only
05:42 building located outside the city walls until the mid-19th century.
05:48 It controlled port activity and was a centre for Maritime Rescue and School.
05:53 Nautical School.
05:58 The neighbouring port of Bilbao was also assisted by its own consulate.
06:02 Later, with industrialisation, a modern merchant fleet was consolidated,
06:07 and at the end of the 19th century Bilbao was the main shipping power in Spain.
06:17 And now let's continue with the journey.
06:19 Anybody want to get off here? Life seems pretty quiet.
06:26 Well, maybe not so much!
06:34 Since the late Middle Ages, the disputes of the Cantabrian seafarers with the English,
06:39 Flemish and French for the control of the trade, triggered devastating
06:43 wars and corsair actions.
06:52 The Basque participation of ships and men in the European wars was very important,
06:56 often resulting in staggering losses of human lives and resources.
07:01 materials.
07:10 Corsair activity was a way of waging war which benefited both the king
07:14 as well as private individuals.
07:16 In the seventeenth century, privateers with a crown patent had in San
07:21 Sebastian one of the main European centres.
07:27 Look out, bow gun!
07:33 This gigantic 16th century German bomber carries on the bronze this
07:38 inscription "My name is Rosita Waiker and I am a sower of death
07:42 and the moaning". It was located in the mouth of Pasaia and today it can be
07:47 seen at the top of Mount Urgull.
07:55 Since the Middle Ages, inshore fishing has been organised around five fisheries
08:00 seasonal fisheries, sea bream, tuna, conger eel, sea bream, tuna, conger eel, and
08:04 sardine and hake.
08:07 If you look through the portholes, you can see some specimens.
08:18 Fishing employed a large number of people on the coast, where women played an important role in the fishing industry.
08:23 a very important role.
08:26 Women had multiple tasks in loading and unloading, the sale of fish
08:30 or repairing the nets.
08:38 Nowadays, inshore fishing is mainly limited to the anchovy and tuna fishing seasons.
08:42 tuna.
08:44 Selective artisanal fishing is presented as a sustainable alternative.
08:49 Hey, did you see that?
08:57 Surprising as it may seem, these cetaceans have been hunted off this coast since the Middle Ages.
09:02 Middle.
09:07 Once the whale had been sighted from the coastal watchtowers, the warning was given
09:12 and the txalupas came quickly with the intention of capturing it,
09:24 and benefit from its fat, its meat and its beards.
09:34 The fishermen of the Basque coast perfected the technique of hunting with harpoons.
09:39 and they were the first to make whale hunting an organised activity
09:44 on a large scale.
09:50 The San Sebastian-Pasaia port network stood out in the 16th century.
09:54 as the main whaling enclave in the world.
09:59 But the Basque fishermen did not only hunt whales in these waters, they also
10:07 ventured as far as the distant waters of Newfoundland and Labrador.
10:15 In the good times of the 16th century they came to be concentrated on those shores.
10:20 about 40 ships and about 2500 fishermen from Gipuzkoa and Vizcaya
10:25 dedicated to whale and cod.
10:30 In the 20th century, the cod fishing activity was concentrated in Pasaia, but it was
10:34 since the 1970s, as a result of the abusive exploitation of the sea, it emerged
10:39 a new international fisheries order.
10:43 And of what used to be the great cod fleet, there are only a few vessels left today.
10:55 If the Basque sailors took risks beyond the known limits, it was, in part,
11:00 thanks to this instrument, the astrolabe.
11:09 The Basque participation in the maritime explorations promoted by the Crown was
11:13 outstanding. The expedition captained by Magellan was concluded by
11:18 Juan Sebastián Elcano.
11:22 The sailor from Getaria proved in practice the sphericity of the Earth.
11:27 and the maritime continuity between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
11:36 Years later, Andrés de Urdaneta accompanied Miguel López de Legazpi in the conquest of the Atlantic Ocean.
11:41 and colonisation of the Philippines.
11:44 It was he who found the return route from Asia to the Americas, completing the
11:48 thus completing the maritime communications network on a global scale.
11:59 In the course of time, the Basque seafarers sailed all the oceans.
12:03 and all the seas of the planet.
12:07 People of sea and war, deep sea fishermen and shore fishermen, whale hunters,
12:16 slave traders, explorers and cosmographers.
12:28 We are again in the waters of the Basque coast.
12:30 The crossing is coming to an end.
12:32 But first, if I may, let's discover some new uses of the sea.
12:38 Are we ready?
13:00 There are even those who prefer to make renewed use of traditional boats.
13:10 We return to the old house of the Consulate Tower, which in 1991 was converted into an old
13:15 into the Naval Museum.
13:18 This building is today a centre for the knowledge and dissemination of history.
13:22 Basque maritime history, where temporary exhibitions and workshops are held.
13:26 educational workshops that try to bring the culture of the sea closer to all kinds of public.
13:33 Watch out!
13:39 Hey, kaixo, anybody!
13:43 have you got a coin to toss him?
13:54 The museum promotes historical and anthropological research and publishes books.
13:59 and periodicals, and is also concerned with safeguarding and recovering
14:04 of the heritage.
14:20 The recovery and protection of boats has been one of our fields of action.
14:25 of preference. The museum has a collection of more than 30 vessels.
14:30 that can be seen in the Ondartxo shipyard in Pasaia.
14:34 This museum has a library, documentary archive and open collections.
14:39 to the incorporation of all kinds of significant materials.
14:43 We encourage you to enjoy any of their activities.
14:49 Thank you very much for travelling with us.
14:51 Goodbye.
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