Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII
Encyclopedia
Alfonso XII, was an Alfonso XII-class
unprotected cruiser
of the Spanish Navy
.
were the first two steel-hulled cruisers built there. She was laid down in August 1881, but shortages of materials delayed her construction and she was not launched until 21 September 1887.
She had two funnels. Her main armament was built by Hontoria
and sponson-mounted. Her five torpedo tubes all were fixed; two were forward, one was on each beam, and one was aft. Although unprotected and therefore lacking armor, she had 12 watertight compartments built in a French-style cellular system to help her resist flooding. She was designed for colonial service, with an emphasis on speed and moderate armament, but in practice machinery problems made her a much slower steamer than her designers had hoped.
harbor in Cuba
, serving as flagship for Admiral Vincente Manterola, but she was unable to put to sea because her boilers required a major refit, and some of her guns had been put ashore to aid in the harbor's shore-based defenses.
Amid growing tensions between the United States
and Spain
, the U.S. battleship Maine
arrived in Havana harbor unexpectedly on 25 January 1898. Her commanding officer, Captain Charles Sigsbee, fearing Spanish mines, requested that Maine be allowed to anchor in the berth occupied by Alfonso XII, where he presumed there could be no mines, but the cruiser's immobility forced him to accept an anchorage about 200 yards away.
Maine was still there when she exploded and sank on 15 February 1898. The crew of Alfonso XII was heavily involved in rescuing the battleship's survivors, treating them in the cruiser's sick bay, and guarding the battleship's wreck, and marched in the funeral cortege during services ashore in Havana for the men who had died aboard Maine.
With war approaching, Alfonso XII put more of her guns ashore to reinforce the coastal batteries, and these guns did fire on American ships occasionally after the Spanish-American War
broke out in April 1898. But Alfonso XII herself, immobilized in a harbor that played little part in the war, could contribute nothing else to the Spanish war effort.
After the war ended in August 1898, Alfonso XII returned to Spain
, where she was decommissioned in 1900. She was sold in 1907.
Alfonso XII class cruiser
The Alfonso XII class of unprotected cruisers was a series of three cruisers built during the 1880s for service with the Spanish Navy. They were named for a recent Spanish king and two recent Spanish queens.- Description :...
unprotected cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
of the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
.
Technical Description
Alfonso XII was built by the naval shipyard at Ferrol; she and her sister ship Reina CristinaSpanish cruiser Reina Cristina
Reina Cristina was an Alfonso XII-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy which fought in the Battle of Manila Bay.-Technical Characteristics:...
were the first two steel-hulled cruisers built there. She was laid down in August 1881, but shortages of materials delayed her construction and she was not launched until 21 September 1887.
She had two funnels. Her main armament was built by Hontoria
Hontoria
Hontoria is one of 28 parishes in Llanes, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain.-Villages:* Cardoso * Hontoria* Villahormes...
and sponson-mounted. Her five torpedo tubes all were fixed; two were forward, one was on each beam, and one was aft. Although unprotected and therefore lacking armor, she had 12 watertight compartments built in a French-style cellular system to help her resist flooding. She was designed for colonial service, with an emphasis on speed and moderate armament, but in practice machinery problems made her a much slower steamer than her designers had hoped.
Operational history
Alfonso XII commissioned in 1891. By 1897 she was anchored in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
harbor in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, serving as flagship for Admiral Vincente Manterola, but she was unable to put to sea because her boilers required a major refit, and some of her guns had been put ashore to aid in the harbor's shore-based defenses.
Amid growing tensions between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the U.S. battleship Maine
USS Maine (ACR-1)
USS Maine was the United States Navy's second commissioned pre-dreadnought battleship, although she was originally classified as an armored cruiser. She is best known for her catastrophic loss in Havana harbor. Maine had been sent to Havana, Cuba to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt...
arrived in Havana harbor unexpectedly on 25 January 1898. Her commanding officer, Captain Charles Sigsbee, fearing Spanish mines, requested that Maine be allowed to anchor in the berth occupied by Alfonso XII, where he presumed there could be no mines, but the cruiser's immobility forced him to accept an anchorage about 200 yards away.
Maine was still there when she exploded and sank on 15 February 1898. The crew of Alfonso XII was heavily involved in rescuing the battleship's survivors, treating them in the cruiser's sick bay, and guarding the battleship's wreck, and marched in the funeral cortege during services ashore in Havana for the men who had died aboard Maine.
With war approaching, Alfonso XII put more of her guns ashore to reinforce the coastal batteries, and these guns did fire on American ships occasionally after the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
broke out in April 1898. But Alfonso XII herself, immobilized in a harbor that played little part in the war, could contribute nothing else to the Spanish war effort.
After the war ended in August 1898, Alfonso XII returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where she was decommissioned in 1900. She was sold in 1907.