''Alfonso XIII'' was a first-class
protected cruiser of the
Spanish Navy which served in the Spanish fleet from 1896 until the early years of the 20th century.
Technical characteristics
''Alfonso XIII'' was built at the naval shipyard at
Ferrol Ferrol may refer to:
Places
* Ferrol (comarca), a coastal region in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
* Ferrol, Spain, industrial city and naval station in Galicia, Spain
** Racing de Ferrol, an association football club
* Ferrol, Romblon, municipality in ...
in Spain.
Laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
in 1891,
she was
launched on 31 August 1891.
In 1896, she entered service in a partially completed state as a
training ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...
. She finally was fully completed and commissioned on 18 May 1900.
The ships of the class were intended to have heavy armament and high speed on a small displacement. The lead ship, , although otherwise considered excellent, had proven top-heavy, so changes were made to ''Alfonso XIII'' to address this, including a smaller main gun. However, the changes, intended to improve upon ''Reina Regente'', instead left ''Alfonso XIII'' lightly armed, slow, and still unstable in heavy seas.
The
Hontoria-built 7.9-inch (201 mm) guns were in single mounts on the broadside fore and aft, while the
guns were in a central battery amidships. All five
torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s were fixed and above the waterline, with two forward, one on each broadside, and one aft.
Operational history
''Alfonso XIII'' was not yet fully complete when she entered service as a training ship in 1896. Still incomplete at the time of the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
, she was sent to
Cadiz on 7 May 1898 to join the Spanish Navy's 2nd Squadron, under the command of Rear Admiral
Manuel de Camara
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
, then forming for a voyage to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. Due to her incomplete condition, Camara decided to leave her behind at Cadiz when his squadron departed on 16 June 1898 on its abortive voyage. ''Alfonso XIII'' spent the rest of the war in Spanish waters to defend Spain's coast from a potential attack by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.
After the war, ''Alfonso XIII'' finally was completed on 18 May 1900, and she was commissioned the same day. Her shortcomings in seaworthiness led her to having a short career, and she was soon stricken and scrapped.
Notes
References
*Chesneau, Roger, and Eugene M. Kolesnik, Eds. ''Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905.'' New York, New York: Mayflower Books Inc., 1979. .
*
Nofi, Albert A. ''The Spanish–American War, 1898''. Conshohocken, Pennsylvania:Combined Books, Inc., 1996. .
External links
The Spanish–American War Centennial Website: ''Alfonso XIII'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfonso Xiii
Reina Regente-class cruisers
Ships built in Spain
1891 ships
Spanish–American War cruisers of Spain