Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/cruiser-classes

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Velasco-class cruiser

Spanish Navy Cruisers


Spanish Navy Cruisers

FieldValue
section1{{Infobox ship/image
imageInfanta Isabel an Isabel class cruiser.jpg
image_captionAn unidentified Velasco-class (here called "Infanta Isabel-class") cruiser in U.S. waters during the 1880s or 1890s
section2{{Infobox ship/class overview
nameVelasco
buildersThames Ironworks & Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. Leamouth, London, United Kingdom; Cádiz, Cartagena, and Ferrol, Spain
built_range1881–1889
in_commission_range1881–1927
total_ships_planned8
total_ships_completed8
total_ships_lost5
total_ships_retired3
section3{{Infobox ship/characteristics
classVelasco
typeunprotected cruiser
displacement1,152 tons
length210 ft
beam32 ft
draft13 ft maximum
sail_planbarque-rigged
speed13 kn
complement173; Infanta Isabel 194 by 1921.
armament*Velasco and Gravina:
*2 × [[BL 6 inch gun Mk II – VI{{convert6inmm0adjon}}]] guns
*2 × {{convert3inmm0adjon}} guns
*2 × {{convert14inmm0adjon}} torpedo tubes
*4 × [[Gonzalez Hontoria de 12 cm mod 1883{{convert120mminadjon1}}]] guns
*2 × {{convert14inmm0adjon}} torpedo tubes
armornone
notes200 to 220 tons of coal (normal)
  • 2 × 6 in guns
  • 2 × 3 in guns
  • 2 × machine guns
  • 2 × 14 in torpedo tubes
  • Others as built:
  • 4 × 120 mm guns
  • 4 × 57 mm 6-pounder guns
  • 1 × machine gun
  • 2 × 14 in torpedo tubes
  • Infanta Isabel by 1921:
  • 1 × 66 mm gun
  • 10 × 57 mm 6-pounder guns

The Velasco class of unprotected cruisers was a series of eight cruisers built during the 1880s for service with the Spanish Navy. They were named after Luis Vicente de Velasco.

Description

The Velasco class consisted of two slightly different subclasses. The first two ships, Velasco and Gravina, built by the Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. at Leamouth, London in the United Kingdom, had fewer but heavier guns and were slightly faster than the next six, which were built at various yards in Spain. The class took a long time to complete, with the two British-build ships being laid down in 1881 and the last Spanish built one not being completed until 1889. The ships had one rather tall funnel, an iron hull, and barque rigging. They were unarmored.

History

The Velasco-class cruisers generally were assigned to colonial service. They were an ill-fated class, with two lost at sea and three more sunk during the Spanish–American War. The three survivors lasted into the early 20th century, with the last one stricken in 1927.

Ships in class

''Velasco''

Completed in 1881, Velasco was in the Philippines at the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898 and was sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898.

''Gravina''

Completed in 1881, Gravina was sent to the Philippines, where she sank in a typhoon in 1884.

''Infanta Isabel''

Completed in 1885, Infanta Isabel was the longest lived of the class, undergoing a reconstruction in 1911 and not being stricken until 1927.

''Isabel II''

Completed in 1887, Isabel II saw action during the Spanish–American War in the Second and Third Battles of San Juan, and was stricken in 1907.

''Cristóbal Colón''

Completed in 1889, was lost off Cuba in October 1895.

''Don Juan de Austria''

Completed in 1887, Don Juan de Austria was in the Philippines at the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898 and was sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898. Salvaged, repaired and in 1900 commissioned into American Navy.

''Don Antonio de Ulloa''

Completed in 1886, Don Antonio de Ulloa was in the Philippines at the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898 and was sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898.

''Conde del Venadito''

Completed in 1888, Conde del Venadito was stricken around 1905

References

  • Chesneau, Roger, and Eugene M. Kolesnik, Eds. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. New York, New York: Mayflower Books Inc., 1979. .
  • Gray, Randal, Ed. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985. .
  • Nofi, Albert A. The Spanish–American War, 1898. Conshohocken, Pennsylvania:Combined Books, Inc., 1996. .
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Velasco-class cruiser — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report