España class (1913)
| Technical data of the España class ships | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) The España 1922 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Dreadnought |
| units | 3 pieces ( España , Alfonso XIII. , Jaime I. ) |
| Shipyard |
Sociedad Espanola de Construction Naval in Ferrol |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
15,452 ts standard, 15,860 ts maximum |
| length |
139.9 m over everything |
| width |
23.8 m |
| Draft |
7.7 m |
| crew |
854 officers and men |
| drive |
4 × Parsons turbines on 4 screws; 12 Yarrow cauldrons (coal) |
| speed |
Max. 20 kn |
| Armament |
8 × 12 inch Vickers Mk H (30.5 cm L / 50) in double towers (1 right ahead, 1 port ahead, 1 starboard astern, 1 right astern), 20 × 10.2 cm SK L / 50 in casemates, 2 × 4.7 cm SK single; from 1927 2 × 4.7 cm flak and 2 × 4.7 cm flak |
The España class was a class of three warships in the Spanish Navy . The type ship “España” was completed on October 23, 1913.
General
The Spanish navy followed with the España class early the trend towards all-big-gun battleship. The Spanish-American War of 1898, however, had left catastrophic ship losses and ruined state finances. The construction of the España-class ships was therefore only decided in January 1908. The material, especially the main armament, was largely sourced from Great Britain. These ships were the only dreadnoughts ever built for or listed by the Spanish Navy. The executing shipyard in all cases was the Sociedad Espanola de Construction Naval (naval shipyard) in Ferrol . It was the first attempt to combine this type of armament with a tonnage that did not exceed that of a unit ship of the line . The result was the smallest and weakest class of capital ships that were built. Their area of application was limited to coastal areas. Other nations did not follow this example, as the weaknesses of these ships, especially the insufficient stability, became apparent in good time.
España-class main armament diagram
units
España
The España was the type ship of this class, her construction began on February 5, 1909, she was launched on February 5, 1912, and was completed on October 23, 1913. Her name means "Spain" in the local language.
On August 23, 1923, the ship ran aground at Cape Tres Forcas in Morocco in thick fog. After the ship's artillery , including all 30.5 cm guns, and some other material could be salvaged, the wreck was smashed in a subsequent storm, further salvage work was stopped.
Alfonso XIII.
The construction of Alfonso XIII. started on October 23, 1910, launched on May 7, 1913, and completed on August 16, 1915. It was named after the Spanish King Alfonso XIII.
From August 1921 to the winter of 1924/25 she drove several missions to suppress the Rifkabylen uprising . In 1931 it was renamed España . During the Spanish Civil War , she fought on the side of Franco Spain and, on April 2, 1937, shot at Red Spanish positions near Bilbao. On April 30, 1937, however, she ran into a minefield near Santander and was hit by a mine. The Alfonso XIII. then began to slowly sink over the stern . The accompanying destroyer Velasco was able to save almost the entire crew and bring them ashore, but the ship itself sank after about three hours. Five sailors were killed in the sinking.
Jaime I.
The Jaime I. was the third ship of this class, construction began on February 5, 1912, and was launched on September 21, 1914. The namesake of this ship was the Spanish King Jaime I. Its completion was interrupted by the First World War, so construction was suspended between 1914 and 1919 because Great Britain had stopped deliveries of materials due to the war. It was not completed until 1922.
After its completion, the Jaime I. also drove from 1923 to 1925 missions to suppress the Rifkabylen uprising and was slightly damaged in May 1924 by being hit by a coastal battery of the Rifkabylen . In the Spanish Civil War she fought on the Red Spanish side. Among other things, they shelled the city of Ceuta on July 28 and August 3, 1936 and Algeciras on August 7 . On August 13, 1936, she was badly damaged by bombs and put out of action for three months.
During an attack by Italian SM.79 bombers on May 21, 1937, the ship was hit by a 250-kilogram bomb and again suffered considerable damage. On June 17, 1937, while the battleship was in Cartagena for repair, a serious explosion occurred inside the Jaime I for reasons that were not exactly clear . Almost 300 crew members and shipyard workers were killed in the disaster. The ship's wreck was made floatable in 1939 and was scrapped in Cartagena until 1941. Some of the guns could be recovered and were later used as coastal artillery.
Parallels to the Germany class of 1931
There are some superficial similarities to the España class with the ironclads of Germany class of 1931 . This applies above all to equipping both classes with strong armament on units that are very small for capital ships. The overall conception of the two ship classes is fundamentally different, however: While the España class was designed as a coastal defender, the armored ships of the Deutschland class were more comparable to the armored cruisers that were originally intended to wage war overseas. In addition, a further development period of more than twenty years came into play for the ships of the Germany class, which was reflected in stronger flak armament and higher speed.
literature
- Siegfried Breyer: Battleships and battle cruisers 1905–1970 , JF Lehmanns Verlag Munich 1970, ISBN 3-88199-474-2
