Expeditionary Group 'Dedalo 23' will make a stopover in Valencia before completing its deployment

• The LHD 'Juan Carlos I' will be open to visits to the public during the weekend

Next Friday, March 24, the units of the Expeditionary Group 'Dedalo 23', the 'Juan Carlos I' and the frigate 'Victoria' are scheduled to dock in the port of Valencia.

The 'Juan Carlos I' will be open for visits on Saturday the 25th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sunday the 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For this purpose, there will be a free bus service leaving from the city's Naval Command, located at Avenida Ingeniero Manuel Soto number 17.

Those interested in visiting the ship should take into account that it will not be possible to access with large packages (security controls will be established in the vicinity of the berth). We would also like to inform that there are places along the route of the visit that may be difficult for people with reduced with mobility.

Expeditionary Group 'Dedalo-23'

On 16 January, the units that are members of the 'Dedalo-23' Expeditionary Group set sail as part of the Spanish contribution to maritime security in the Mediterranean and to NATO Deterrence and Defence.

The Group, under the command of Rear Admiral Gonzalo Villar, is currently composed of the 'Juan Carlos I', an embarked air unit made up of ' Harrier ' AV8B+ planes and helicopters, a Reinforced Marine Infantry Landing Battalion and the frigate 'Victoria.

Among the many activities carried out, the humanitarian support provided to the Turkish population affected by the earthquake last February stands out. During eight days, the Group provided humanitarian aid to the affected population, collaborating in the search for survivors among the rubble and distributing food and drinking water to the victims.

The search effort among the wreckage of the ruined buildings was rewarded with the rescue of a seven-year-old boy and a 70-year-old adult, on the fifth and sixth day after the earthquake, when hopes were already fading. It also expedited the distribution of up to 3,600 tons of aid. They assisted in unloading ships at Limak port and planes at Adana airport as well as organising convoys for the material to reach its recipients in Alexandretta.

Following the completion of support to Turkey, the 'Dedalo-23' Group began its participation in NATO's 'Neptune Strike' vigilance activities, which included numerous coordinated missions with the US aircraft carrier 'George H.W. Bush' and the Italian 'The Cavour', through the airspaces of Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Albania, Italy and Greece.

Subsequently, the Group participated in the French exercise HEMEX ORION together with about twenty ships and 20,000 military personnel and, days later, 'Dedalo-23' led five days of exercises of the Spanish-Italian Amphibious Force together with ships, planes and units of the marine infantry of the transalpine country.

After more than 70 days of activity throughout the Mediterranean Sea, the Expeditionary Group 'Dedalo-23', integrated by a total of 1,550 soldiers (1,341 men and 209 women), plans to conclude its deployment on the 28 March returning to the Rota Naval Base.