Spanish ship Castilla (L52)

Castilla docked at the Rota naval base.
History
Spain
Name	Castilla
Namesake	Castilla
Ordered	9 May 1997
Builder	Empresa Nacional Bazán
Laid down	11 December 1997
Launched	14 June 1999
Commissioned	26 June 2000
Homeport	Naval Station Rota
Identification	Pennant number: L52
Status	Ship in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Galicia-class landing platform dock
Displacement	13,815 t (13,597 long tons) full load
Length	160 m (524 ft 11 in) oa 142 m (465 ft 11 in) pp
Beam	25 m (82 ft 0 in)
Draught	5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	4 Bazan/Caterpillar 3612 diesel engines 9,330 kW (12,512 hp), 2 shafts, 1 510 kW (680 hp) bow thruster
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) maximum
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	4 LCM-1E
Capacity	543 fully-equipped soldiers and 130 APCs or 33 MBTs
Complement	189
Sensors and processing systems	DA08 air / surface search IRSCAN SATCOM, Link 1, JMCIS
Armament	4 Sippican Hycor SRBOC MK36 launchers 2 × Oerlikon Contraves 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon
Aircraft carried	4 SH-3D or 6 AB 212 helicopters
Aviation facilities	60 m × 25 m (197 ft × 82 ft) flight deck, hangar

Castilla (L52) is a Galicia-class landing platform dock (LPD), and is the twelfth ship of this name. She is the sister ship to the amphibious warfare vessel Galicia. The vessel is primarily used to transport Spanish marines but is also used for humanitarian aid missions. Launched in 1999 and commissioned in 2000, Castilla took part in Operation Romeo Sierra as part of the Perejil Island crisis in 2002, has participated in multiple military exercises with NATO and provided humanitarian relief in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.