Spanish Navy Marines The Spanish Navy Marines ( ; lit , Naval infantry ) is a corps within the Spanish Navy responsible for providing amphibious warfare from the sea utilizing naval platforms and resources . It is fully integrated into the Spanish Navy structure . The Corps was formed in 1537 by Charles I of Spain ( also known as Charles V , Holy Roman Emperor ) , making it the oldest extant marine corps in the world , drawing from the " Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles " . Mission . The Spanish Navy Marines is an elite corps , highly specialised in amphibious warfare , that is , to project an amphibious force onto a hostile , or potentially hostile , coast . Its ability to embark on a short term notice with ( land , air and naval ) Navy assets , makes it a unit with a high strategic value . Adding to this a high degree of training , and the capability to deploy swiftly in international waters , results in a potent disuasory force available at a short notice in distant regions . One of the main characteristics of a marine is the uniform that he wears . On the sleeves of the Spanish Marines are the three " Sardinetas " , which marks it as a member of the Royal House Corps . This was given in recognition for a heroic last stand in the Castillo del Morro of Havana , Cuba against a British expedition in 1762 . The only other unit to wear the sardinetas and red trouser stripes is the Spanish Royal Guard . Spanish Marines have modern assets to comply with its mission , having personnel specialised in artillery , sapping , helicopter s , special operations , communications , tank s , among others . Some vehicles form the " Grupo Mecanizado Anfibio del Tercio de Armada " ( the Mechanized Amphibious Group of the Navy Tercio ) . The Marines of Spain are not only a fleet force , as the Spanish Royal Marine Guard Company are responsible for the defence and security forces of naval bases and facilities , naval schools and training units , and all facilities that support the Marines themselves . The most famous Spanish marine is without a doubt Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra , author of the novel Don Quixote , who was wounded in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 . Another famous writer , Calderón de la Barca , also served with the marines . History . First period . The " Infantería de Armada " ( Navy Infantry ) was created by Charles V in 1537 , when he permanently assigned the " Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles " ( Naples Sea Old Companies ) to the " Escuadras de Galeras del Mediterráneo " ( Mediterranean Galley Squadrons ) . But it was Philip II who established today ' s concept of a landing force . This was a pure naval power projection ashore by forces deployed from ships that could maintain their ability to fight despite based on board . This is the period of the famous Tercio s ( literally " One Third " , due to its organisation : one third of musketeer s , one third of spear men and the final third of pikemen ) : Of the Tercios above , the first is considered the core of the Spanish Navy Marines , and it bears in its coat of arms two crossed anchors that became the Corps ' coat of arms until 1931 . In 1704 , the Tercios became regiments : " Regimientos de Bajeles " ( Vessel ' s Regiments ) , " Regimiento de la Armada " ( Navy Regiment ) , " R . del Mar de Nápoles " ( Naples ' Sea Regiment ) , and " R . de Marina de Sicilia " ( Sicily ' s Navy Regiment ) , detaching some small units to the Army , and the main body remained in the Navy becoming the " Cuerpo de Batallones de Marina " ( Navy Battalions Corps ) . The battles that the marines served in during this very busy period included : Second period . In 1717 the " Cuerpo de Batallones de Marina " was definitively settled and organized , reaching its full strength of twelve battalions . The first ones were named : Armada , Bajeles , Marina , Oceano , Mediterráneo and Barlovento . Their mission was to form the " Main body of landing columns and ship ' s soldiers tasks " in a time that boarding was still a critical part of battle at sea . They were also gun crews . In a 1793 , a woman , Ana Maria de Soto , disguised as a man , and answering to the name of Antonio Maria de Soto , enlisted in the 6th company of 11° Battalion of the Navy , being licensed with pension and honors in 1798 , when she was discovered to be a woman . She was the first female Marine of the world . The major actions they took part in during this period were : Third period . Though Spain ' s empire was dismembered in the nineteenth century the marines continued to be active abroad . Its most important actions in this period were : These actions were carried out by the " Batallones Expedicionarios " ( Expeditionary Battalions ) , some of them campaigning abroad for up to ten years . Fourth period . At the end of the World War I , the Battle of Gallipoli made almost all countries abandon the idea of amphibious assault . The world ' s marine corps fell into a deep crisis , with the Spanish Navy Marines being no exception , though it enjoyed success during the Third Rif War in its innovative Alhucemas amphibious assault in 1925 , when it employed coordinated air and naval gunfire to support the assault . Owing to its high - profile action in the unpopular Rif War s , the Spanish Navy Marine corps was branded as a leftover of the Spanish colonial era . After the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931 , the reforms of the armed forces introduced by newly nominated Republican Minister of War Manuel Azaña within the first months of the new government sought to disband the corps . Before it was officially disbanded , however , the Spanish Civil War intervened and the corps split and served both sides with the garrisons of Ferrol and Cádiz on the Nationalist side and the garrison of Cartagena , as well as a detachment in Madrid , on the Republican side . During the bitterly fought war the Marines performed garrison duties , led landing parties , and provided expert artillery and machine gun crews . The Republican 151 Brigada Mixta fought mostly inland battles far away from the sea . Photographer Robert Capa took pictures of the Spanish Republican Navy Marines in the Battle of the Segre . Republican " Infantería de Marina " Lieutenant Colonel Ambrosio Ristori de la Cuadra , killed in action during the Siege of Madrid , was posthumously awarded the Laureate Plate of Madrid . Fifth period . After the civil war , during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco , the strength of the Infantería Marina was increased . In 1957 , the " Grupo Especial Anfibio " ( Amphibious Special Group ) was created , and the Spanish Navy Marines returned to its primary duty as a Landing Force Mission . In 1958 it established a beachhead in Spanish Sahara and Ifni during the Ifni War . The capabilities and strength of the Spanish Navy Marines were increased : new amphibious vehicles , anti - tank weapons , individual equipment and artillery . The Tercio de Armada ( TeAr ) became the main amphibious unit and has experienced several restructures that led to the E - 01 Plan , which defines the requirements and structures from the year 2000 for the Spanish Navy Marines . The Spanish Marines have been present in Europe , Central America and Asia in an anonymous role as an " emergency force " ready to evacuate civilians in conflict areas , or as a deterrence force in providing cover for the actions of allied forces . The current base for the Spanish Marines is in San Fernando . Today the main fighting Force of the Spanish Marine Infantry is the Marine Infantry Brigade , which includes the following units : Other Infantry units of the Spanish Navy are : Ranks of the Navy Marines . Even through the ranks of the Navy Marines are similar to Spanish Army ranks they wear also sleeve and cuff insignia to recognize them as part of the naval establishment , aside from shoulder rank insignia .