The town of Rota stands above Punta de la Morena, at the North
entrance point to Cadiz. It is located in the region of Andalucia, the
country of Cervantes's "Don Quixote". Probably of Phoenician
or Tartessian origin, Rota did not acquire village status until the time
of the Muslim occupation and subsequent Christian reconquest. It has
been a passage for various cultures and civilizations. They included the
Tartessians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Tartars,
Visigoths, Moors (as part of the larger Arab Muslim empire) and the
Christians (under the Roman Church), the last who gave the city its
present name. In Muslim times, a ribat or monastery called "Robota
Ruta" was built, around which the town began to grow. The town
boasts castles, temples and monuments. Most of them were built in the
16th century and were owned by feudal lords and dukes, who had absolute
powers over the people and property on their land.
Alfonso X, and later his son Sancho IV, "The Brave", ruled
the city after the Christian conquest in 1264. Sancho IV ceded the city
to Alonso Perez de Guzmán, "The Good One", who later gave it
to his daughter Isabel as a wedding present when she married Fernando
Perez Ponce de Leon, "Maestro of Alcantra" and the First Lord
of Manchena. The town soon came under the control of the House of Arcos.
In 1780 the sixteenth Duke of Arcos died without succession and the Duke
of Osuna took control of the town. He ruled until 1823, when the
aristocratic régime was dissolved in Spain.
In 1702 Rota was pillaged by Anglo-Dutch forces who destroyed many of
the town’s monuments. It suffered the same fate in 1811, this time at
the hands of French troops. Since 1953, the town has played host to the
United States and Spanish Navies.
The South African military attaché to Spain, Col Pheiffer, a Spanish
Navy liaison officer and the ship's agent were waiting on the quay to
welcome the ship. Once alongside, the ship's company lined up to form a
'human conveyer' to load fresh victuals. With temperatures in the high
20 degrees Celsius, the weather was warm but pleasant.
Position on 30 August 2004.
