Armada (1884-86): 1 ship, in service until 1907. Destructor was a 1880 Spanish warship designed by Fernando Villaamil as a fast ocean-going torpedo gunboat. She is often referred in publications as the main precursor of the destroyer type. Even the name is appropriate. Her role was clear when she was commissioned, however, despite being commissioned … Read more
Armada (1887-1900): Isla de Luzon, Isla de Cuba, Marqués de la Ensenada In 1885 the Armada (Spanish Navy) naval staff wanted to better protect its overseas territories and ordered a new design that would be a cheap colonial protected cruiser for station duties. The result were the three Isla de Luzon class ordered in Britain … Read more
Spanish Protected cruisers (1886-1895): Reina Regentes, Alfonso XIII, Lepanto 1891-1900 The Reina Regentes class cruisers were designed as an improvement of the Alfonso XII, with some protection (they were the second class of Spanish protected cruisers after the small Isla de luzon group). Instead of being designed and built in Spain, the Government sent a … Read more
Spanish unprotected cruisers (1881-1991): Alfonso XII, Reina Cristina, Reina Mercedes 1891-1900 The Alfonso XII class were three Spanish masted unprotected cruisers built during the 1880s all in Ferrol. They were named for a Spanish king and two Spanish queens, made in steel, but construction time was very long, and they were obsolete when completed. They … Read more
Armada (1880-1927): Velasco, Gravina, Infanta Isabel, Isabel II, Cristóbal Colón, Don Juan de Austria, Don Antonio de Ulloa, Conde del Venadito The Velasco class were eight unprotected cruisers built in the 1880s for the Armada (Spanish Navy) built in two different subclasses. The first batch composed of Velasco and Gravina were typical Vickers Armstrong style … Read more
Armada (1880-1905): Aragón, Navarra, Castilla The Aragon class were three unprotected wooden-built cruisers between 1869 and 1882 for the Spanish Navy and named after historical kingdoms or regions of Spain as they were initially designed as central battery ironclads but modified after constrtuction started, as unprotected masted cruisers, and later completely rearmed. Construction time thus … Read more
Spanish Armada (1888-1898): Armoured Cruisers Infanta Maria Teresa, Vizcaya, Almirante Oquendo If it is a dubious privilege to have three cruisers of the same class sunk the same day, the Infanta Maria Teresa class shared it with other examples, as Cressy, Hogue Aboukir in WWI, three of the Zara class at Matapan in 1941 and … Read more
Spanish pre-dreadnought Battleship (1885-1929) Pelayo was a French-built Battleship, first modern one in service with the Armada. A fitting subject for the 12 October, Spanish National Day and Feria. Pelayo was also the most robust proposition of the whole Spanish Navy when the 1898 broke out. She stayed to defend the homeland, together with several … Read more
