España-class battleship
Illustration of España in 1912
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Class overview | |
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Name | España class |
Builders | Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval, Ferrol, Spain |
Operators |
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Preceded by | None |
Succeeded by | Reina Victoria Eugenia class (planned) |
Built | 1909–1921 |
In commission | 1913–1937 |
Completed | 3 |
Lost | 3 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Dreadnought battleship |
Displacement | |
Length | 140 m (459 ft 4 in) o/a |
Beam | 24 m (78 ft 9 in) |
Draft | 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
Complement | 854 |
Armament |
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Armor |
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The España class was a series of three
España represented Spain during the opening of the
After King Alfonso XIII was deposed and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed in 1931, Alfonso XIII was renamed España and both members of the class were reduced to reserve to reduce costs. Jaime I returned to service for use as the fleet flagship in 1933. Plans to modernize the ships in the mid-1930s were interrupted by the start of the Spanish Civil War. España was seized by the rebel Nationalist faction at the start of the conflict while the Republican government retained control over Jaime I. España was used to enforce a blockade of Republican-controlled ports in northern Spain; the Spanish Republican Navy briefly deployed Jaime I to break the blockade but neither side attacked the other. España was lost after striking a mine in April 1937, though almost her entire crew was saved. Jaime I was attacked by German and Italian bombers during the war before being destroyed by an accidental explosion in June 1937. Guns from Jaime I were recovered and used for coastal batteries.
Background
The Spanish public blamed the Navy for the country's disastrous losses in the Spanish–American War of 1898 but recognized the need to modernize and rebuild it. The first attempt to rebuild the Navy came in the Fleet Plan of 1903, which called for a fleet centered on seven 15,000-metric-ton (14,763-long-ton) battleships and three 10,000-metric-ton (9,842-long-ton) cruisers. This plan proved to be too ambitious for the weak Spanish economy and an unstable Spanish parliament was unable to provide funding. The Fleet Plan of 1905 proposed a fleet of eight 14,000 t (13,779-long-ton) battleships, a number of torpedo boats, and submarines; this plan also fell victim to the weaknesses of the Spanish government and a lack of public support. International developments, particularly conflicts with Germany in the First Moroccan Crisis, provided the impetus and public support necessary for the Spanish government to embark on a major naval construction program.[1]
In April 1904, Britain and France reached the Entente Cordiale, putting aside their traditional rivalry to oppose German expansionism. The agreement directly affected Spain because it settled matters of control over Morocco and placed Tangier under joint British–French–Spanish control. The agreement brought Spain closer with Britain and France, leading to an exchange of notes between the three governments in May 1907, by which time a strong cabinet led by Antonio Maura had come to power. The notes created an informal agreement to contain the German-led Central Powers; Britain would concentrate the bulk of the Royal Navy in the North Sea while Spain would contribute its fleet to support the French Navy against the combined fleets of Italy and Austria-Hungary. Britain and France would provide technical assistance to develop new warships for the Spanish fleet. Accordingly, Maura secured passage of the Fleet Plan of 1907, which proposed the construction of three battleships, several destroyers, torpedo boats, and other craft. The construction plan was to last for eight years. Debates over the plan took place in the Cortes Generales (General Courts—the Spanish legislature) until the end of November and a final approval vote on 2 December. The 1907 Fleet Plan was formally signed into law on 7 January 1908.[1][2]
Development
Work on the new design had begun before the fleet plan was approved by the legislature. Initial plans called for the three ships to displace 12,000 t (11,810 long tons) and have an armament of four 12-inch (305 mm) and at least twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in a manner similar to standard British
The Spanish Navy was principally concerned with defending its main naval bases at
Four shipbuilders submitted bids: the Italian
In October 1908, the Artillery Committee met to make its recommendations to the Junta Superior. The Committee concluded the SECN and Schneider proposals were superior to the Ansaldo version but neither had a marked advantage over the other. The following month, the Naval Construction Committee met to evaluate the proposals. It recommended the SECN design followed by Schneider and with Ansaldo last. The Office of the Navy Controller also evaluated the proposals in November and advised the Junta Superior only the SECN bid met the design requirements without any legal, administrative, or cost problems.
Due to the constraints imposed by the Spanish economy, the resulting design produced the smallest dreadnought-type battleships ever built.
Design
General characteristics
The España-class ships were 132.6 m (435 ft)
Each ship had a crew of 854 officers and enlisted men,
Machinery
The ships' propulsion system consisted of four-shaft
The engines were rated at 15,500 shaft horsepower (11,600 kW) and produced a top speed of 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph).[6] According to the design contract, the engines were to be capable of a normal maximum of 22,000 shp (16,000 kW) with a top speed of 19.9 knots (36.9 km/h; 22.9 mph), and up to 26,000 shp (19,000 kW) and 20.2 knots (37.4 km/h; 23.2 mph) at forced draft. All three ships exceeded 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) in speed trials.[18] Each ship could store up to 1,900 t (1,870 long tons) of coal; according to Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, this permitted a cruising radius of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph),[6] though the historian Agustín Rodríguez González states the ships had a range of 7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at a speed of 10.8 knots (20.0 km/h; 12.4 mph).[14]
Armament
The ship's main armament consisted of eight Vickers Mk H. 12-inch 50-
The secondary battery comprised twenty 4-inch (102 mm), 50-caliber guns mounted individually in casemates along the length of the hull. They were manufactured by several Spanish arsenals[20] and fired a 31-pound (14 kg) shell.[22] The guns were too close to the waterline, however; they were unusable in heavy seas and had a limited range caused by insufficient elevation. The guns were also too weak to be effective against contemporary destroyers, which were becoming increasingly powerful.[19] The ships also carried four 3-pounder guns, two machine guns, and two landing guns that could be taken ashore.[5][6]
Armor
The armor layout for the España class was essentially a scaled-down version of that used in the British
Though the ships were poorly armored compared to most foreign designs, the ships' underwater protection was the greatest weakness in the armor scheme. The torpedo bulkhead was placed too close to the outer hull, which reduced its ability to absorb damage. This weakness played a central role in the losses of both España to grounding in 1923 and the sinking of Alfonso XIII by a single mine in 1937.[24]
Modifications
Only limited modifications were possible due to technical constraints imposed by the need to keep displacement low and insufficient funds to effect a major reconstruction to free up tonnage for other uses.[25] The arrangement of the main battery occupied much of the deck space, limiting what could be done to update the vessels.[20] The Navy considered proposals to modernize the three battleships in the early 1920s but the Spanish military budget was being consumed by the costs of the Rif War in North Africa so the proposed modernization was not carried out. These modernization plans called for the installation of new fire control equipment with more effective rangefinders, additional, newer anti-aircraft guns, and the building of anti-torpedo bulges into the hull to improve underwater protection for a loss of one knot of speed. Deck armor was also to be strengthened.[26] Only minor modifications were possible. In 1926, both Jaime I and Alfonso XIII had a pair of Vickers 76.2-millimeter (3 in) anti-aircraft guns installed, one each on top of turret numbers 1 and 2. In the 1930s, the foremast was reduced slightly on the two surviving ships.[17]
A more ambitious plan to significantly improve the surviving ships' capabilities was proposed in the mid-1930s. The height of the wing turret barbettes was to be increased, improving their fields of fire and freeing up space around the turrets for a new secondary battery of 120 mm (4.7 in) Mk F dual-purpose guns. The ships were to carry twelve of the guns individually in open mounts; the casemates of the old secondary guns would be converted into more crew spaces. A new anti-aircraft battery of either ten 25 mm (1 in) or eight 40 mm (1.6 in) guns were to be fitted, the type would be determined by tests of their effectiveness. Other changes were to be made to improve fire-control systems, overhaul the machinery, and install anti-torpedo bulges, among other improvements but the start of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936 prevented work on either ship from beginning.[27]
After the Nationalists seized her in 1936, Alfonso XIII—since renamed España—had her 76.2 mm (3 in) guns removed for use ashore. They were replaced with four German
Construction
A new 184 by 35 m (604 by 115 ft) drydock and two 180 by 35 m (591 by 115 ft) slipways were built at Ferrol to accommodate the construction of the three battleships. All material except the armor plate, heavy guns, and fire control equipment was manufactured in Spain. The contract specified a build time of four years for the first ship, five years for the second, and seven years for the third.[29] Despite the allowance for longer construction times for the later units, their completion, particularly that of the third unit, Jaime I, was delayed by a lack of materials from Britain as a result of the outbreak of World War I in July 1914.[5] The main guns for Jaime I were not delivered until 1919; she had been completed apart from her armament in May 1915.[29][30]
Name | Builder[6] | Laid down[6] | Launched[6] | Completed[6] |
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España | Ferrol
|
6 December 1909 | 5 February 1912 | 23 October 1913 |
Alfonso XIII | 23 February 1910 | 7 May 1913 | 16 August 1915 | |
Jaime I | 5 February 1912 | 21 September 1914 | 20 December 1921 |
History
Early careers
España was the only member of the class that was completed by the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, though she did not see action because Spain remained neutral for the duration of the war.[31] In August 1914, she participated in the opening ceremonies for the Panama Canal.[32] Alfonso XIII joined her in August 1915 in the 1st Squadron of the Spanish fleet. During the war, the fleet conducted training operations in home waters. Alfonso XIII was involved in assisting ships in distress and suppressing civil unrest during and immediately after the war. In late 1921, Jaime I was completed. Throughout the early 1920s, the three ships served in the Training Squadron. España and Alfonso XIII were sent on long-distance cruises to North and South America in 1920 and 1921, respectively.[31][33][34] During España's voyage, she was damaged off the coast of Chile and required extensive repairs before she could return home.[35][36]
During this period, the
In 1931, after the overthrow of King
Spanish Civil War
In 1936 at the start of the Nationalist uprising led by General Francisco Franco, the bulk of the Spanish Navy's fleet remained loyal to the Republican government. When most of the ship's officers declared support for Franco, España's crew killed most of them, but, after a duel with Nationalist coastal artillery batteries, they were persuaded to surrender and turn the ship over to Nationalist control. Jaime I remained under Republican control, serving as the core of the Spanish Republican Navy. The Republican fleet attempted to block the crossing of Franco's Army of Africa from Morocco to mainland Spain, resulting in a brief action between Jaime I and the gunboat Eduardo Dato, but German interference secured the Nationalists' passage.[42][43] In August of that year, Jaime I was attacked and slightly damaged by two German bombers from the Condor Legion.[44][45]
After being returned to service, España was used for coastal bombardment and to enforce the blockade of Republican ports in northern Spain, including
España was lost on 30 April 1937 off the coast of Santander while on blockade duty, having struck a single mine that had been laid by a Nationalist minelayer. She remained afloat long enough for the destroyer Velasco to take off most of her crew and only four men died in the sinking.[49][50] Jaime I was still under repair at Cartagena in June when an accidental fire caused an internal explosion that destroyed the ship.[51] The Republicans raised the ship but determined she was beyond economical repair and discarded her on 3 July 1939.[6]
Many of the guns from the first España were recovered and used in coastal fortifications, some of which remained in service until 1999. Six of Jaime I's 12-inch guns were also salvaged and similarly employed after she was broken up in the 1940s. Jaime I's guns also remained in service until they were decommissioned in the mid-1990s. The second España (formerly Alfonso XIII) was never raised and her wreck was discovered in the early 1980s. Several expeditions to survey the wreck took place between February and May 1984.[52]
Notes
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 63, 65.
- ^ Rodríguez González, pp. 268–271.
- ^ a b Rodríguez González, p. 272.
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 66–67.
- ^ a b c d Fitzsimons, p. 856.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Sturton, p. 378.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 67–68.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 68–70.
- ^ Rodríguez González, p. 273.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 72.
- ^ Fitzsimons, p. 857.
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 95.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 77.
- ^ a b Rodríguez González, p. 276.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 102.
- ^ Rodríguez González, p. 279.
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 104.
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 101.
- ^ a b c Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 84.
- ^ a b c Rodríguez González, p. 275.
- ^ Friedman, p. 65.
- ^ Friedman, p. 107.
- ^ Garzke & Dulin, p. 437.
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 96.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 76.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 104–105.
- ^ Rodríguez González, pp. 285–286.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 91–93.
- ^ a b Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 73.
- ^ Hall, p. 504.
- ^ a b Sturton, p. 376.
- ^ Shepherd, p. 28.
- ^ Garzke & Dulin, p. 438.
- ^ Rodríguez González, p. 283.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 105.
- ^ Repairs to the Spanish Battleship "Espana", p. 569.
- ^ Rodríguez González, p. 284.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, p. 106.
- ^ Rodríguez González, pp. 283–285.
- ^ Garzke & Dulin, pp. 438–439.
- ^ Rodríguez González, p. 286.
- ^ Beevor, pp. 71–73.
- ^ Rodríguez González, p. 287.
- ^ a b Nofi, p. 32.
- ^ Proctor, p. 28.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 107–108.
- ^ Rodríguez González, pp. 287–288.
- ^ Mattioli, p. 11.
- ^ Rodríguez González, pp. 288–289.
- ^ Roskill, p. 381.
- ^ Gibbons, p. 195.
- ^ Fernández, Mitiukov, & Crawford, pp. 106, 108–109.
References
- Beevor, Antony (2006). The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-297-84832-5.
- Fernández, Rafael; Mitiukov, Nicholas; Crawford, Kent (March 2007). "The Spanish Dreadnoughts of the España class". Warship International. 44 (1). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization: 63–117. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Fitzsimons, Bernard (1978). "España". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. Vol. 8. Milwaukee: Columbia House. pp. 856–857. ISBN 978-0-8393-6175-6.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Garzke, William; Dulin, Robert (1985). Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-101-0.
- Gibbons, Tony (1983). The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers: A Technical Directory of All the World's Capital Ships From 1860 to the Present Day. London: Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-86101-142-1.
- Hall, R. A. (1922). Robinson, F. M. (ed.). "Professional Notes". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 48 (1). Annapolis: Naval Institute Press: 455–506. OCLC 682045948.
- Mattioli, Marco (2014). Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Torpedo-Bomber Units. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-78200-809-5.
- ISBN 978-1-88-473387-1.
- Proctor, Raymond L. (1983). Hitler's Luftwaffe in the Spanish Civil War. London: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-22246-7.
- "Repairs to the Spanish Battleship 'Espana'". The Panama Canal Record. XIV (37). OCLC 564636647.
- Rodríguez González, Agustín Ramón (2018). "The Battleship Alfonso XIII (1913)". In Taylor, Bruce (ed.). The World of the Battleship: The Lives and Careers of Twenty-One Capital Ships of the World's Navies, 1880–1990. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. pp. 268–289. ISBN 978-0-87021-906-1.
- Roskill, Stephen (1976). Naval Policy Between the Wars. Vol. 1. London: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-211561-2.
- Shepherd, R. C., ed. (February 1915). "Schedule of Operations of the Atlantic Fleet, and Preliminary Arrangements Incident to the Panama–San Francisco Cruise". Our Navy. VIII (10). New York: Our Navy Publishing Co.: 28–29. OCLC 41114005.
- Sturton, Ian (1985). "Spain". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 375–382. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
Further reading
- Lyon, Hugh (1978). Encyclopedia of the World's Warships: A Technical Directory of Major Fighting Ships from 1900 to the Present Day. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 978-0-86101-007-3.