Walking into the Museo Naval de Cartagena, I wasn't expecting to find myself face-to-face with what many consider the world's first electric torpedo submarine. The Submarino Peral sits there like a metallic time capsule from 1888, telling the story of Isaac Peral's ambitious vision that was decades ahead of its time.

This 22-meter steel submarine looks surprisingly modern for something built in the 19th century. What strikes you first is its torpedo-like shape and compact size - hard to imagine twelve crew members operating inside such a confined space. Peral designed it as an electric-powered coastal defense vessel, and seeing the actual torpedo tube at the bow makes you realize how revolutionary this concept was back then.

The submarine's journey is almost as fascinating as its technology. After successful night attack simulations in 1890, political interference and bureaucratic skepticism led to the project's cancellation. For forty years, it gathered dust at the Arsenal de la Carraca until Admiral Mateo García de los Reyes rescued it in 1929. The submarine then spent decades moving around Cartagena - from the submarine base to Plaza de los Héroes de Cavite, even making a trip to Seville's 1992 World Expo before finding its permanent home in the museum.

Standing next to it, you can appreciate the engineering challenges Peral faced. The electric propulsion system could push it to 8 knots on the surface and 3 knots submerged, with an 80-meter maximum diving depth. Those specifications might seem modest now, but in 1888, they represented cutting-edge naval technology.

The museum's Sala Isaac Peral provides excellent context with Peral's original desk, personal belongings, and a detailed cutaway model showing the submarine's interior layout. An audio guide helps explain the technical innovations and political circumstances that ultimately doomed this pioneering project.

What resonates most is the sense of missed opportunity. While other nations developed submarine fleets, Spain's first submarine became a museum piece. Peral received the Naval Merit Medal for the dangers he faced during trials, but his vision of underwater naval warfare wouldn't be fully realized by Spain until decades later.

The submarine represents more than naval history - it's a testament to innovation stifled by conservative thinking, making it particularly poignant to see it finally receiving the recognition it deserves in Murcia's most important naval city.