''Príncipe de Asturias'' (Prince of Asturias) was a Spanish three-deck 112-gun
ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...
, named after
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
, eldest surviving son of
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808.
The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...
and heir apparent with the title
Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978:
The title originated in 1388, when King J ...
. She served during the
Napoleonic wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
escorting convoys, and fought at different times against both the British and French navies. Her invocation name was ''Los Santos Reyes'' (the Holy Kings).
Construction
She was built in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.''Santa Ana'' class designed by Romero de Landa. She was the last built of the eight ships of this class and was launched on 28 January 1794. Her construction was overseen by Honorato Bouyón.
Service
She left Havana on 26 February 1795 under the command of Brigadier Adrián de Valcárcel, and arrived in
Cádiz
Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
on 17 May 1795 after escorting a valuable convoy.
Cape St Vincent
In 1797 she was commanded by Brigadier
Antonio de Escaño
Antonio de Escaño y García de Cáceres ( Cartagena, Murcia, 1750 - Cádiz, 12 July 1814) was a Spanish military officer and government official. He served in several naval battles including the Battle of Trafalgar. He was Spain's Minister of t ...
y García, and was part of a squadron under Teniente General José de Córdova to escort another convoy. After completing that mission, but before reaching Cádiz, the squadron was surprised by a sudden storm which blew them further out to sea. While making their way back they encountered and were defeated by a British squadron on 14 February 1797 at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, The ''Príncipe de Asturias'' had 10 killed and 19 wounded, and helped save the Spanish flagship, the '' Santísima Trinidad'', while it was under attack by British Commodore
Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
.
Trafalgar
At the
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...
, she was part of the Franco-Spanish fleet and the
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of Spanish ''Teniente General''
Federico Gravina
Admiral Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli (born Federico Carlo Gravina Cruyllas; 12 August 1756 – 9 May 1806) was a Spanish Navy officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He die ...
, with Antonio de Escaño as his deputy and Brigadier Rafael Hore as the ship's captain. During the battle Gravina found himself attacked by three British ships. The main mast and mizzen were shot through, rigging and sails shot to pieces. Gravina's left arm was shattered by grapeshot (he died a year later from wounds he received during the battle), and seeing a looming defeat, he managed to gather ten ships around the ''Príncipe de Asturias'' which suffered 50 killed and 110 wounded. After the battle the ship had to be towed by the French
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
''Thémis'' and then underwent major repairs in Cádiz.
War with France
After the French invasion of Spain in 1808, she then served during the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...