Pascual Cervera y Topete
Alfonso XIII of Spain | |
---|---|
Prime Minister | Práxedes Mateo Sagasta |
Preceded by | José López Domínguez |
Succeeded by | Manuel Pasquín de Juan |
Personal details | |
Born | Cádiz province, Spain | February 18, 1839
Died | April 3, 1909 Puerto Real, Cádiz province, Spain | (aged 70)
Resting place | Panteón de Marinos Ilustres, San Fernando, Cádiz province, Spain |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Spain |
Branch/service | Spanish Navy |
Years of service | 1858–1907 |
Rank | Almirante (Admiral) |
Commands | Navy Staff Cuba Squadron Ministry of the Navy Cartagena harbor Battleship Pelayo Corvette Ferolana Corvette Santa Lucia Schooner Circe |
Battles/wars | Ten Years' War Spanish–Moroccan War Spanish–Moro conflict
|
Early life and service
Pascual Cervera y Topete was born in
Due to the political instability that persisted in Spain since
In the government
In May 1891, the Queen Regent María Cristina assigned Cervera to her court as her naval aide-de-camp. A year later the captain was assigned to oversee the construction of several cruisers for the Spanish Navy at the request of the Queen Regent. Around that time multiple politicians wanted Cervera to become the Minister of the Navy, but he continued to resist because he detested politics. Finally, in 1892, Prime Minister Práxedes Mateo Sagasta asked the Queen Regent to compel him to accept the position of naval minister in his government. She did so, and Cervera reluctantly accepted, being promoted to Contraalmirante (rear admiral). But the newly promoted flag officer made the prime minister promise to not lower the naval budget in return, which Mateo accepted. However, it was not long before the prime minister broke that promise and so Cervera resigned from the position in 1892, but not before trying to make efforts to improve the Spanish Navy's efficiency. The rear admiral was appointed as the naval attaché in London shortly afterwards, where he witnessed the technical innovations being made by the British Royal Navy, a post he held until the situation in Cuba began escalating around 1896–97.[1][4][6]
Service in Cuba
The admiral viewed the escalation of tensions between the kingdom and the
The U.S. remained unaware of the Spanish squadron's whereabouts for another several days, prior to it being discovered on May 28[8] or 29[9] at Santiago harbor by the Flying Squadron under Commodore Winfield Scott Schley. On May 31, the two sides exchanged fire, between the Cristóbal Colón and three American vessels (USS Iowa, Massachusetts, and New Orleans). After some time, Cervera ordered his squadron's cruiser to return to the harbor, with neither side having taken any damage. The rest of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, operating in Cuban waters, did not arrive until June 1, and together the U.S. naval forces blockaded Cervera's squadron in Santiago. On June 2–3, the American commander decided to try to blockade the Spanish ships in the harbor by sinking a collier, the USS Merrimac, at the entrance. However, it came under fire from the defenders and was forced aground, at which point the Spanish admiral personally met with its American crewmen, who were taken prisoner.
"¡Bien, muy bien! ¡Sois unos valientes! ¡Os felicito!"
"Good, very good! You are brave! I congratulate you!"— Spanish admiral Pascual Cervera congratulating the American prisoners after their failed attempt, [10]
Cervera later sent his chief of staff under a flag of truce to give a note to Admiral Sampson informing him that the collier's crew was alive and safe. It was an act that impressed his American opponents and Sampson later noted that the affair "gave us a favorable impression of the Spanish officers."[11]
The fleet remained mostly inactive in harbor for the next month until July 2, when
As the admiral's flagship raised a white flag on the beach, the remaining two cruisers – Vizcaya and Colón – were pursued, with the former being destroyed around 11:00 while the latter made it fifty miles from Santiago before being grounded on a beach. After that, the American ships began rescue operations for the Spanish sailors of the destroyed squadron, and among those captured from the wreck of the Infanta Maria Teresa was Admiral Cervera.
Later life
In February 1901, Cervera was promoted to Vizealmirante (
Personal life
Admiral Cervera was married and had several children, but he lived his private life with a rigid schedule.[1] One of his sons was also in the Spanish Navy and served with his father at Santiago.[18]
Cervera also spoke fluent English.[4]
Recognition
Admiral Cervera continued to be a popular figure in the years following his death, to the point that even the Spanish Navy acknowledged him as a symbol of patriotism by naming a light cruiser after him.[19]
Awards
- Order of Isabella the Catholic
- Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild
- Naval Merit Grand Cross
- Naval Merit Cross with white badge
- Naval Merit Cross with red badge
- Legion of Honor
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Manuel Cervera and Wayne Lydick. Admiral D. Pascual Cervera. Spanish–American War Centennial Website. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 86–87
- ^ Pascual Cervera y Topete Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d Sariego, William (November 2015). Honor in Defeat. Avalanche Press. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ Davis (1903), p. 162
- ^ a b Dyal (1996), pp. 68–71
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 87–88
- ^ Nofi (1996), p. 89
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 109–110
- ^ Biography of Pascual Cervera Todoavante (in spanish)
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 115–117
- ^ Leeke (2009), p. 125
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 130–132
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 134–137
- ^ Leeke (2009), pp. 138–142
- ^ Leeke (2009), p. 145
- ^ Leeke (2009), p. 148
- ^ Leeke (2009), p. 120
- ^ "Almirante Cervera" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 May 2000. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ a b Garcia, Tamara (2 May 2014). El testamento de Pascual Cervera y Topete. (in Spanish). Diario de Cadiz. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
Sources
- Davis, George W. (1903). Annual Report of Military Governor in the Philippine Islands. 1899–1902/03. Manila: Manila P.I.
- Dyal, Donald H. (1996). Historical Dictionary of the Spanish American War. Greenwood. ISBN 0313288526.
- Leeke, Jim (2009). Manila and Santiago: The New Steel Navy in the Spanish–American War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591144649.
- Nofi, Albert A. (1996). The Spanish–American War, 1898. OCLC 33970678.
Further reading
- Concas y Palau, Victor M. (1900). The Squadron of Admiral Cervera. Washington, DC: Office of Naval Intelligence.