''Almirante Ferrándiz'' was a in the

Spanish Republican Navy The Spanish Republican Navy was the Navy, naval arm of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. History In the same manner as the othe ...

. She took part in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

on the government side. She was named in honor of

José Ferrándiz y Niño José Ferrándiz y Niño (1847–1918) was a Spanish soldier and politician who became a ''vicealmirante'' (Admiral, vice admiral) in the Spanish Navy. He was born in Seville and died in Madrid. He was teacher in the Floating Naval School (loca ...

, a Spanish

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

and former Navy Minister.

History

''Almirante Ferrándiz'' took part in the

Gibraltar Strait The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medit ...

blockade. When a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

squadron penetrated the

Cantabrian Sea The Cantabrian Sea; french: Mer Cantabrique, gl, Mar Cantábrico, ast, Mar Cantábricu, eu, Kantauri. is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwest ...

to relieve Republican troops isolated in the north, she remained in the strait with to stop any movement of

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

troops between Africa and the Iberian peninsula. In response, the Nationalist

heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...

(which Republicans believed had been damaged by an aerial bomb) and the light cruiser were sent to break the blockade. On 29 September 1936, at the

Battle of Cape Spartel The Battle of Cape Spartel was an indecisive naval battle between a Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova and a British fleet under Admiral Richard Howe. These forces met on 20 October 1782 after Howe successfully resupp ...

, ''Canarias'' spotted ''Almirante Ferrándiz'' on patrol in the

Alboran Sea The Alboran Sea (from Arabic , ''al-Baḥrān'') is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between the Iberian Peninsula and the north of Africa (Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south). The Strait of Gibraltar, w ...

, and opened fire from , hitting the destroyer with her second salvo. The Republican destroyer continued sailing away from ''Canarias'', but the heavy cruiser struck her again with a third salvo, at . The destroyer took a total of six hits from ''Canarias''s main

armament A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

and sank off Calaburras with most of her crew. ''Canarias'' stopped to rescue 31 sailors from ''Almirante Ferrándiz'' and authorized the French liner ''Koutubia'' to pick up another 26, including her commander, José Luis Barbastro Jiménez.

References

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External links

Destroyers of the Spanish civil war (in Spanish)Wrecksite, Spanish Republican Navy (1936-39)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almirante Ferrandiz (1928) Churruca-class destroyers Ships built in Cartagena, Spain 1928 ships Spanish Republican Navy Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Shipwrecks of the Spanish Civil War