Spanish monitor Puigcerdá
Encyclopedia
The Puigcerdá was the only monitor ever commissioned in the history of the Spanish
Armada
, and was acquired to defend the estuary
of Bilbao
and the coast of Cantabria
during the Third Carlist War
, at a price of ₧840,000 pesetas.
of the Societe Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranee
, in La Seyne, Toulon
, France
.
By a Royal Order dated October 30, 1874 it was ordered that the ship be given the name:
against Carlist troops. After the war the ship was laid up at Ferrol with the floating battery
Duque de Tetuán
, and was decommissioned in 1890.
in 1898, Puigcerdá was recommissioned and rearmed, and dispatched for the defense of the Ria de Vigo
.
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...
Armada
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...
, and was acquired to defend the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
and the coast of Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
during the Third Carlist War
Third Carlist War
The Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is very often referred to as the Second Carlist War, as the 'second' had been small in scale and almost trivial in political consequence....
, at a price of ₧840,000 pesetas.
Construction and Naming
The acquisition of Puigcerdá was approved on August 25, 1874, by General Serrano and Minister of Marine Rafael Rodriguez Arias. The contract for the construction of the ship was signed September 11, 1874, with the ship to be built in the shipyardShipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
of the Societe Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranee
Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée
The Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée was a French shipbuilding company. The 'Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée' was founded in 1853 by Philip Taylor, while a new company, the 'Nouvelle' société, was founded in 1856. It had shipyards in La Seyne-sur-Mer,...
, in La Seyne, Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
By a Royal Order dated October 30, 1874 it was ordered that the ship be given the name:
Third Carlist War service
During the Third Carlist War, Puigcerdá defended the province of VizcayaBiscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
against Carlist troops. After the war the ship was laid up at Ferrol with the floating battery
Floating battery
A floating battery is a kind of armed watercraft, often improvised or experimental, which carries a heavy armament but has few other qualities as a warship.An early appearance was during the Great Siege of Gibraltar....
Duque de Tetuán
Spanish ship Duque de Tetuán (1874)
The floating battery Duque de Tetuán was an ironclad warship, a low-freeboard vessel similar in design to a monitor, of the Spanish Navy, and was constructed during the Third Carlist War to provide coastal defense and fire support for troops ashore. Completed after the end of the conflict for which...
, and was decommissioned in 1890.
Spanish-American War
With the breaking out of the Spanish-American WarSpanish-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...
in 1898, Puigcerdá was recommissioned and rearmed, and dispatched for the defense of the Ria de Vigo
Ria de Vigo
Vigo Ria is a ria in Galicia, Spain. It is the southern most ria of the Rias Baixas.The following German U-Boats are reported to have been sunk somewhere in the ria: the U-523, sunk August 25, 1943 , and the U-506, sunk at 15:50 hrs on July 12, 1943 .-External links:*...
.