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San Fernando Naval Museum

naval museum in San Fernando, Spain

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionOct 30, 2024
Entity authorityQ3276564 ↗
Source-derived summary

The San Fernando Naval Museum (Spanish: Museo Naval de San Fernando) is a naval museum located in San Fernando in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain. Although a naval museum was called for as early as 28 September 1792. A museum was established in 1843, but the current museum was inaugurated on 27 March 1992, with the main purpose to promote the history of the presence of the Spanish Armada in the area.

History

The project of creating a Naval Museum was born by royal decree of 28 September 1792, of the Secretary of the Navy Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán, according to which Carlos IV, had resolved to establish in the military town of San Carlos a Naval Museum that, in addition to the General Library, gathers all the natural sciences that are necessary for the complete instruction of the Navy, and consequent utility in it, but it was not until 27 March 1992, when the current museum was inaugurated. On 6 July 1994, the first official visit was made by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Rooms of the museum

The museum has 21 rooms that review Spanish military history:

Foyer: the original idea for the museum is shown, where the portraits of King Carlos III and Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán, both promoters of the enlightened ideas of the Spanish Navy, appear.

Underwater archaeology: objects retrieved from the waters are represented, thanks to underwater archaeology, such as cannons, bullets, ship's tackle, ancient vessels, Phoenician and Roman anchors. An ancient diving suit stands out in the room as the origin of these underwater works.

Trafalgar: small room where the events of the Battle of Trafalgar, fought at Cape Trafalgar in 1805, are narrated. Models of the English ship HMS Victory and the Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno are exhibited.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “San Fernando Naval Museum” as naval museum in San Fernando, Spain. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Fernando, Naval and Museum.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1792, 1843, 1992, 1994—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1992. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Fernando, Naval and Museum providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “San Fernando Naval Museum”, the useful work is to connect “naval museum in San Fernando, Spain” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 30, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q3276564. Authority coordinates are 36.467, -6.194. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1792, 1843, 1992 and 1994.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “San Fernando Naval Museum”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow San Fernando Naval Museum primary sources, San Fernando Naval Museum archive and Fernando research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “San Fernando Naval Museum”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “San Fernando Naval Museum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.