Spanish cruiser Emperador Carlos V

Last updated
Armored Cruiser Emperador Carlos V.tif
Armored cruiser Carlos V around 1898.
History
Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg Spain
NameEmperador Carlos V
Namesake Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Builder Vega-Murguia Shipyard, Cadiz, Spain
Laid down1892
Launched13 March 1895
Completed2 June 1898
Decommissioned1922
Stricken1932
FateScrapped 1933
General characteristics
Type Armored cruiser
Displacement
  • 9,090 long tons (9,236 t) (standard)
  • 10,220 long tons (10,384 t) (full load)
Length
  • 414 ft 5 in (126.31 m)oa
  • 380 ft 0 in (115.82 m)pp
Beam67 ft 0 in (20.42 m)
Draft25 ft 0 in (7.62 m) mean
Installed power18,500  ihp (13,800 kW) (15,000 ihp (11,000 kW) on trials with natural draft)
Propulsion2-shaft, 4-cylinder vertical triple expansion
Speed
  • 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (forced draft);
  • 19 knots (natural draft) on trials;
Complement600 officers and enlisted
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 2 in (51 mm), made up of 1 in (25 mm) Siemens and 1 in chrome
  • Barbettes: 9.75 in (248 mm)
  • Gun shields: 6.5 in (170 mm)
  • Conning tower: 12 in (300 mm)
  • Deck: 6.5 in
  • Hoods: 3.875 in (98.4 mm)
  • Battery: 2 in, made up of 1 in Siemens and 1 in chrome
NotesCoal 1,200 tons (normal); 1,800 tons (maximum)

Emperador Carlos V was an armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy which served in the Spanish fleet from 1898 to 1933. The money intended to build torpedo boats was used to build a 9,000-ton cruiser, deriving this cruiser from the British Blake class. Said cruiser stood out for its great autonomy, while it suffered from having little armor, mounting only during its first days of life 4 pieces of García Lomas of 100 mm.

Contents

Technical characteristics

Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in Brassey's Naval Annual 1906 Emperador Carlos V diagrams Brasseys 1906.jpg
Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in Brassey's Naval Annual 1906

Emperador Carlos V was built at the naval shipyard at Cadiz, Spain, the largest ship built in Spanish yards in this era. [1] She was laid down in 1892, launched on 13 March 1895, and completed on 2 June 1898. She was the only member of her class. Her boilers and machinery were of Spanish construction, her armor German, her stern and stern post British, and her gun turrets, which were installed at Le Havre, France, in 1897, were French. [1] She had three funnels and was weakly armored, relying mostly on her armored deck for protection. Her 11-inch (280 mm) main guns were mounted fore and aft in centerline hooded barbettes. [2] One of her strengths was considered to be her great steaming range. [3]

As a curiosity, the day before it was launched, the cruiser Reina Regente sank because its captain forced it to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in the middle of a storm in order to attend the launching ceremony in person. The entire crew of the ship died, 420 sailors and officers. [4]

Operational history

Carlos V in 1898, on the Suez Canal. Carlos V.jpg
Carlos V in 1898, on the Suez Canal.
Carlos V in 1914 Spanish armoured cruiser Emperador Carlos V, 1914.jpg
Carlos V in 1914

Emperador Carlos V [5] was brand new and not yet operational when the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898, but she was rushed into service and assigned to the 2nd Squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Manuel de Camara. [3] This squadron was ordered to steam to the Philippines and face the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron, which had controlled Philippine waters since defeating the Spanish squadron of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron in the Battle of Manila Bay.

Camara's squadron—consisting of Emperador Carlos V, battleship Pelayo, auxiliary cruisers Patiota and Rapido, destroyers Audaz, Osado, and Prosepina, and transports Buenos Aires and Panay – sortied from Cadiz on 16 June 1898, passing Gibraltar on 17 June 1898. [6] It arrived at Port Said, Egypt, on 26 June 1898, and requested permission to transship coal, which the Egyptian government finally denied on 30 June 1898 out of concern for Egyptian neutrality. [7] By the time Camara's squadron arrived at Suez on 5 July 1898, [8] the squadron of Vice Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete had been annihilated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, freeing up the U.S. Navy's heavy forces from the blockade of Santiago de Cuba. Fearful of the security of the Spanish coast, the Spanish Ministry of Marine recalled Camara's squadron on 7 July 1898, [9] and Emperador Carlos V returned to Spain, where Camara's 2nd Squadron was dissolved on 25 July 1898. [3] Emperador Carlos V spent the last month of the war in Spanish waters, and thus missed combat.

After the war, Emperador Carlos V conducted cruises to show the flag, attending naval reviews in foreign countries, most notably including the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom in 1902.

In 1914 she was present at the United States occupation of Veracruz.

She was decommissioned in 1922, stricken in 1932, [3] and scrapped in 1933. [10]

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Spanish–American War Centennial Website: Carlos V
  2. ↑ Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905, p. 382
  3. 1 2 3 4 The Spanish–American War Centennial Website: Carlos V
  4. ↑ "Reina Regente (+1895)". Wrecksite.eu. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  5. ↑ The Naval Historical Center (at http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/spain/spsh-ag/carlos-v.htm Archived 2010-04-13 at the Wayback Machine ) says that her name was shortened to Carlos V before she was completed.
  6. ↑ Nofi, p. 168
  7. ↑ Cervera's papers, p. 154.
  8. ↑ Nofi, p. 282.
  9. ↑ Nofi, p. 283
  10. ↑ Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921, p. 377

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Santiago de Cuba</span> Naval battle near Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War

The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurred during the Spanish–American War. The significantly more powerful US Navy squadron, consisting of four battleships and two armored cruisers, decisively defeated an outgunned squadron of the Royal Spanish Navy, consisting of four armored cruisers and two destroyers. All of the Spanish ships were sunk for no American loss. The crushing defeat sealed the American victory in the Cuban theater of the war, ensuring the independence of Cuba from Spanish rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pascual Cervera y Topete</span> Spanish admiral

Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete was a prominent Spanish naval officer with the rank of Almirante (admiral) who served in a number of high positions within the Spanish Navy and had fought in several wars during the 19th century. Having served in Morocco, the Philippines, and Cuba, he went on to be Spain's naval minister, chief of naval staff, naval attaché in London, the captain of several warships, and most notably, commander of the Cuba Squadron during the Spanish–American War. Although he believed that the Spanish Navy was suffering from multiple problems and that there was no chance for victory over the United States Navy, Cervera took command of the squadron and fought in a last stand during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.

Spanish cruiser <i>Reina Mercedes</i> Cruiser of the Spanish Navy

Reina Mercedes, was an Alfonso XII-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy.

Spanish cruiser <i>Vizcaya</i> Ship

Vizcaya was an Infanta Maria Teresa-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Almirante Oquendo</i> Spanish Navy cruiser

Almirante Oquendo, was an Infanta Maria Teresa-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Infanta Maria Teresa</i>

Infanta María Teresa was the lead ship of her class of armoured cruiser constructed for the Spanish Navy. The ship fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Cristóbal Colón</i> Armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy, wrecked in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba

Cristóbal Colón was a Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Plutón was a Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish destroyer <i>Furor</i>

Furor was a Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish destroyer <i>Terror</i> Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy

Terror was a Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy that fought at San Juan, Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. Constructed in the United Kingdom, the ship entered service in 1896 and was significantly damaged at the Second Battle of San Juan in 1898. In 1920, the destroyer was converted to a minelayer and discarded in 1924.

Spanish cruiser <i>Castilla</i>

Castilla was an Aragon-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War. She was built at Cadiz, Spain. Her construction as an armored corvette with a central battery ironclad design began in 1869. In 1870, her design was changed to that of an unprotected cruiser or wooden corvette, and, after political events delayed her construction. During the first two years of the Philippine Revolution in 1896–1897, Castilla patrolled to intercept contraband destined for the Philippine insurgents and supported Spanish Army forces fighting ashore in Cavite Province on Luzon. When the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898, Castilla was part of the squadron of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón in Manila Bay and was subsequently engaged and sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Squadron (United States Navy)</span> Military unit of the United States Navy

The Flying Squadron was a United States Navy force that operated in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Spanish West Indies during the first half of the Spanish–American War. The squadron included many of America's most modern warships which engaged the Spanish in a blockade of Cuba.

Spanish battleship <i>Pelayo</i>

Pelayo was a battleship of the Spanish Navy which served in the Spanish fleet from 1888 to 1925. She was the first battleship and the most powerful unit of the Spanish Navy at the time. Despite its modern design for the time, Pelayo and the rest of the Spanish Asia-Pacific Rescue Squadron never engaged in combat during the Spanish–American War. Some historians have argued that had the battleship, along with the modern armored cruiser Carlos V, participated directly in the conflict the course of the war would have been altered dramatically and possibly lead to a Spanish victory, thus retaining Spain's status as a colonial power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel de la Cámara</span> Spanish admiral (1836-1920)

Admiral Manuel de la Cámara y Livermoore was a Spanish naval officer. He saw service in many of Spain′s wars of the second half of the nineteenth century and is most notable for commanding a relief squadron that made an abortive attempt to relieve Spanish forces in the Philippine Islands during the Spanish–American War.

<i>Infanta Maria Teresa</i>-class cruiser

The Infanta Maria Teresa class of three armored cruisers were built for the Spanish Navy between 1889 and 1893. All three were sunk in action against the United States Navy during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898.

<i>Alfonso XII</i>-class cruiser

The Alfonso XII class of unprotected cruisers was a series of three ships built during the 1880s for service with the Spanish Navy. They were named for a Spanish king and two Spanish queens.

Spanish cruiser <i>Alfonso XIII</i>

Alfonso XIII was a Reina Regente-class first-class protected cruiser of the Spanish Navy which served in the Spanish fleet from 1896 until the early years of the 20th century.

Spanish transport <i>Buenos Aires</i> (1887)

Buenos Aires was a merchant ship requisitioned for use as a transport by the Spanish Navy in June and July 1898 during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Rapido</i>

Rapido was an auxiliary cruiser that served in the Spanish Navy during the Spanish–American War in 1898. Before her Spanish Navy service, she served as the commercial passenger ship SS Columbia for the Hamburg America Line from 1889 to 1898. She returned to commercial service as Columbia with Hamburg America from 1899 to 1904, but early in 1904 the Imperial Russian Navy purchased her for service as the auxiliary cruiser Terek during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.

Ismael Warleta y Ordovás was a Spanish admiral who served as the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy from 20 August 1897 until his death on 9 August 1898. Warleta's tenure as chief of naval staff coincided with the Spanish–American War, during which he attended a meeting on 23 April 1898 led by the naval minister Segismundo Bermejo y Merelo, where he supported the proposal of deploying Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete's squadron to Cuba—a decision that led to the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. Previously, he had served as the head of the logistics branch of the Ministry of the Navy, and from 1888 until 1890 he commanded the cruiser Reina Regente as a ship-of-the-line captain.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.