Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria shipyard-museum: Countdown to the launch of the Nao San Juan in Pasaia
- Culture
- 2025 Nov 03
Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria shipyard-museum
Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria offers an exciting historical tale based on scientific rigour, authenticity and quality. It does so by building and restoring, in front of the public, historical wooden boats with heritage value are built and restored there, in front of the visitors who can witness how boatbuilders, blacksmiths and ropemakers preserve the trades of the sea.
The image of the San Juan shipwreck is a part of the logo of UNESCO representing the world underwater cultural heritage. The construction project of the San Juan was awarded the patronage of this international organisation in 2015 for its rigour and authenticity, and also for being a shared heritage between two cultures on different shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
logo of UNESCO representing the world underwater cultural heritage
The most significant project of Albaola is the construction of the replica of the ocean-crossing whaling galleon San Juan. A 16th-century cargo ship built in Pasaia which sank in Red Bay, Canada, in 1565, when she was loaded and ready to return home.
Historian Selma Huxley discovered the existence of a sunken Basque ship in Labrador after researching in various historical archives; this prompted the government agency Parks Canada to initiate a major research project, which resulted in their underwater archaeology department finding the wreck in 1978; at that time, they were not yet aware that they were dealing with the wreck of the world's best-preserved ocean-crossing galleon.
Launch of the Nao San Juan
In just a few days, at Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria (Pasai San Pedro), the exciting launch of the Nao San Juan will take place — a historic event set to become a milestone in the history of the world’s maritime heritage. The launch ceremony will be held on November 7, around 5:00 pm (approximate time), at the shipyard-museum itself. To ensure everything runs smoothly, visitors are encouraged to arrive early and use public transportation, as there is no parking available in the area. Several recommended viewing points have been designated around the site to safely and clearly observe the launch maneuver. During the operation, the Port of Pasaia will be closed to vessel traffic unrelated to the maneuver.
The San Juan is now in the final stages of construction, and Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria is preparing its first voyage — an "archaeonavigation" that will retrace the original route taken by Basque whalers five centuries ago. This will be a faithful historical re-enactment that will shed new light on a still little-known period of maritime history. Just as the ship's construction has been a learning process, so too will this voyage be a journey of discovery.
