SPS Juan Carlos I (L61)

 military, ship, aircraft carrier, warship, flagship (ship)

The Flagship of the Armada Española, SPS Juan Carlos I was laid down at the Navantia Shipyards at Ferrol in May 2005 and commissioned into service in September of 2010. Designed as a multirole amphibious vessel, the Juan Carlos I has steadily assumed the roles of several vessels formerly operating with the Spanish Navy, most notably the LSTs SPS Hernán Cortés and SPS Pizarro and the Aircraft Carrier SPS Principe de Austurias.

Equipped with a straight deck and "ski-jump" ramp on her bow, the Juan Carlos I is capable of operating a total of 30 rotary and fixed wing aircraft from its decks, including the Armada's force of AV-8B Matador's and has been designed to permit the operation of the F-35B Lightning II, either in Spanish service or through its operations as part of NATO and the European Union's Spanish-Italian Amphibious Force (SIAF).

Assuming the role of Fleet Flagship and largest vessel in Spanish service with the decommissioning of the SPS Principe de Austurias (R11) in February of 2013, the Juan Carlos I is homeported at Naval Station Rota and constitutes the centerpoint of the revised Alpha Group.

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