Spanish battleship España: Difference between revisions
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Built for coast defense and national pride more than combat, ''España'' provided a formidable ship at reasonable cost, except for the fact, due to rapid technological change at the time, she was obsolescent before completion.<ref name=Fitzsimmons-857>Fitzsimons, p.857.</ref> |
Built for coast defense and national pride more than combat, ''España'' provided a formidable ship at reasonable cost, except for the fact, due to rapid technological change at the time, she was obsolescent before completion.<ref name=Fitzsimmons-857>Fitzsimons, p.857.</ref> |
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just italia |
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==Operational History== |
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''España's'' first deployment was for [[coast defense]] during [[World War I]], without incident. In 1920 she carried the Spanish representative to the [[quatercentenary]] of the discovery of the [[Straits of Magellan]] in [[Chile]], in the process becoming the Spanish Navy's first ship to [[transit]] the [[Panama Canal]]. On 29 January 1921 she grounded in Chilean waters off [[Puerto Montt]] on her return to Spain, being refloated with some difficulty.<ref>Fernández et al., p. 105.</ref> |
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[[Image:Kanguro (rescate).jpg|thumb|left|200px|''España'''s guns being salvaged by salvage vessel ''Kanguro'']]She provided [[fire support]] to [[Spanish Army]] and [[French Army]] troops in [[Morocco]] during the [[Rif War (1920)|Rif War]], her only overseas combat duty. During these operations, she went aground at [[Cape Tres Forcas]], [[Morocco]], near [[Melilla]], in fog on 26 August 1923. Two salvage companies were invited to refloat the ship but both declined after initial surveys. A commission was formed by the Spanish Navy in December 1923 and after exhaustive inspection of the hull by divers it was decided to partially scrap ''España'' in order to salvage her. To that end her 12-inch (305-mm) guns were removed and dropped into the sea, to be later recovered by the salvage vessel ''Kanguro'' (originally intended to recover lost submarines). After much removal of armour, machinery and ammunition the hull was sealed and partially drained. While waiting for salvage equipment from Italy, the stricken ship was hit by a number of violent storms, which worsened the damage to the hull and ended any hope of her refloating. In November 1924 the ship broke in two and she was abandoned.<ref name=Warship>Fernández et al., p. 106.</ref> |
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After the overthrow of [[Alfonso XIII of Spain|King Alfonso XIII]], her name was passed on to her sister, [[Spanish battleship Alfonso XIII|''Alfonso XIII'']] in April 1931.<ref name=Fitzsimmons-857 /> Her recovered guns, both 305mm and 101.6mm, were installed in coastal batteries, some of which remained in service until 1999 before being retired from service.<ref name=Warship /> |
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==Citations== |
==Citations== |
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Revision as of 07:42, 14 January 2009
| File:Varada españa 1913.jpg España in dry dock in Ferrol in 1913
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| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Spain | |
| Name | España |
| Ordered | 20 March 1909 |
| Builder | John Brown & Company (as SECN), El Ferrol |
| Laid down | 5 December 1909 |
| Launched | 5 February 1912 |
| In service | 23 October 1913 |
| Fate | Ran aground off Cape Tres Forcas 26 August 1923. Broken up where she lay |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | España class battleship |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) Normal: 15,700 t (15,500 long tons) Full Load: 16,450 t (16,190 long tons) |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 132.51 m (434.7 ft) p/p 139.88 m (458.9 ft) o/a |
| Beam | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Draught | list error: <br /> list (help) Normal: 7.77 m (25.5 ft) Full Load:8.08 m (26.5 ft) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 12 × Yarrow coal-fired boilers 4 × turbines 4 × shafts |
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Range | 3,249 nmi (6,017 km) at 10.75 knots (19.91 km/h) |
| Complement | 850 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 8 × 305 mm (12 in)/50 cal guns 20 × 101.6 mm (4 in) Vickers Model E guns 2 × 3 pounder (47 mm) /50 cal QF guns |
| Armour | list error: <br /> list (help) Main Belt: 230 mm (9 in) Upper Belt: 150 mm (6 in) Main Deck: 40 to 50 mm (2 to 2 in) Barbettes: 70 to 250 mm (3 to 10 in) Turrets (Faces): 250 mm (10 in) Turrets (Roof): 70 mm (3 in) Turrets (Back): 350 mm (14 in) Fore Conning Tower (Faces): 250 mm (10 in) Fore Conning Tower (Roof): 50 mm (2 in) |
| Notes | list error: <br /> list (help) Coal: 900 tons (normal); 1,900 tons (max) 20 tons oil[1] |
España was a Spanish dreadnought-type battleship, lead ship of the España-class. They were the first, and last, dreadnoughts built in Spain.[2]
Her sister ship, Alfonso XIII, was renamed España in 1931.
Technical Characteristics
The construction of España was authorized by the Navy Law of 7 January 1908. The British company Armstrong Whitworth was contracted for the design and John Brown & Company for the construction of the shipyard and ships themselves.[3]
España was laid down at Ferrol on 5 December 1909 (the yard being built similtaneously), launched on 5 February 1912, and completed 23 October 1913. In order to avoid rebuilding existing docks, España was constructed with a shorter hull than a purely rational design required, and she and her sisters were the smallest dreadnought-type battleships ever built.[1] Her amidships freeboard was only 15 feet (4.6 meters), and her main battery guns 24 feet 6 inches (7.5 meters) above the waterline.[1]
With a single stack amidships, two tripod masts, and small superstructure, España had a broadside of eight 12-inch (305 mm) guns, each weighing 67.1 tons, firing an 850-pound (385 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,950 fps (902 m/s) with a maximum range of 23,500 yards (21,500 meters, 11.6 miles), at a rate of fire of one round per minute.[4] The guns could be loaded at any elevation or bearing. The four twin turrets were arranged with "A" and "Y" on the centerline, where they had a 270-degree arc of fire; the others were on the wings, similar to Dreadnought ("B" to starboard, "Q" to port), with 180 degree arcs of fire on the broadside and 80 degrees athwartships.[1] This mounting scheme was chosen in preference to superimposed turrets, as was done in the South Carolinas, to save weight and cost.[3]
The main armament itself was fired by a Vickers-pattern director, fitted in the foretop, with calculations made by a Barr and Stroud "Rate of Change of Range and Deflection" (ROCORD) mechanical computer in the main top.[5] The absence of a central fire control station would have proved a liability in action at sea, whereas the arrangement proved adequate for coast-bombardment work. The secondary battery was poorly laid out[3] in casemates along the hull too close to the waterline, which proved wet and unworkable in rough seas.[1]
On 30 June 1914 España underwent her official armament acceptance trials off El Ferrol. In the presence of Spanish naval and military dignitaries and the British engineers who had assisted in her construction, she fired two rounds from each of her 47mm and 4-inch (102-mm) guns, and then a round from each of the 305mm (12-inch) guns. After this she fired a full broadside; despite the en echelon arrangement of her main armament no damage was caused to the hull or superstructure at all.[6]
The main armor belt was 6 feet 7 inches (2 meters) deep, with 2 feet (0.6 meter) above the waterline. It extended from the forward to the after barbette.
Built for coast defense and national pride more than combat, España provided a formidable ship at reasonable cost, except for the fact, due to rapid technological change at the time, she was obsolescent before completion.[7]
just italia
Citations
References
- Gardiner, Robert (1985). Conway's All the world's fighting ships, 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 9780851772455. OCLC 12227060.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Fernández, Rafael (2007). "The Spanish Dreadnoughts of the España class". Warship International. 44 (1). Toledo, Ohio: International Naval Research Organization: pp. 63–117. ISSN 0043-0374. OCLC 1647131.
{{cite journal}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Bernard Fitzsimons, ed. (1978). "España". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. Vol. 8. Phoebus Publishing: London. pp. 856–57.
- Bernard Fitzsimons, ed. (1978). "Naval Ordnance". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. Vol. 23. Phoebus Publishing: London. pp. 2569–76.
- Lyon, Hugh (1978). Encyclopedia of the World's Warships: A Technical Directory of Major Fighting Ships from 1900 to the Present Day. London: Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 9780861010073. OCLC 3677350.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)