By Nick Mitiuckov
The following is some basic information on the Spanish Torpedo boats, Second Class. These vessel were intended for port and coastal defense. The author is searching for more information on these vessels, and would like verification of the facts as listed below. If you can in either of these items, please contact the website administrator, and he will put us in contact! We need your help!
In the era of the Spanish-American War, Spain had a larger torpedo boat force than the United States. The Spanish Naval Staff had been following the growth and evolution in the field of torpedo boat construction very attentively. As a result, the Spanish Navy had a unique collection of vessels of this class by the time of the war.
At the large naval maneuvers of 1887-88, it was found that the Spanish torpedo boats were not in combat condition. The technical condition of all of the vessels was poor. Only one, the BARCELO was able to reach its designed maximum speed. However, in spite of what they saw at the maneuvers, the Spanish Navy did not make improvements and during the next ten years leading up to the Spanish American War the situation did not improve. The crews of the torpedo boats were not well-trained, and the vessels themselves had continued to decline. By 1898, none of the Spanish torpedo boats were capable of going into action. At the beginning of the Spanish American War only two torpedo boats were assigned to the Reserve Squadron (ORION and RETAMOSA), but they did not take part in the expedition to try to relieve the Philippine.
The "Real Decreto de 29 Octubre 1890" divided all torpedo boats between the various naval stations.
The Cadiz Naval Region received the following: RETAMOSA,ORION, HABANA, and BARCELO. The El Ferrol Naval Region received the EJERCITO. The Cartagena Naval Region received the RIGEL, ACEVEDO, and ORDONES.
"REAL DECRETO
En atencion a lo expuesto por el Ministro de Marina y de conformidad con el Consejo de Ministors: En nombre de mi Augusto hijo el Rey D. Alfonso XIII, y como Reina Regente del reino, Venego en decretar lo siguiente:
Articulo 1. Se aprueba el adjunto estado de nueva clasificacion de buques de la Armada.
TERPEDEROS DE SEGUNDA LOS DE COSTA Y PUERTO INFERIORES A 100 TONELADAS."
Madrid, 18 de Agosto de 1895
El Ministro de Marina, Jose Maria de Beranger."
Click here for a profile and image
of the ORDONEZ!
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The two vessels of this class were ACEVEDO (later named #7, and later yet, # 43) and JULIAN ORDONEZ (later named # 6, and later yet, # 44). By 1908-1910, neither had any combat capability. In 1910, they were dropped from the navy rolls, and were scrapped in 1919.
The vessels were named for Julian Ordonez and Acevedo, who were, respectively, a major lieutenant and a boatswain in the Spanish Navy, and who were killed on January 20, 1878 at Cavite during a Filipino rebellion.
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Click here to see an image and
profile of BARCELO!
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The BARCELO was renamed #9 and saw service until 1911. BUSTAMENTE's career is not known. Since they were built in France, the two vessels had an unusual silhouette: both funnels were asymmetrical, dismissal to starboard. The vessels left the navy rolls in 1912.
BARCELO was named for a Spanish naval captain with a successful record against the Barbary pirates.
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Click here to see an
image and profile of this vessel!
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The vessel was built under an initiative of Madrid's Army Society (this is reason for the vessel's name).Her design was based on a German design but was built in Spain since the cost was less (about 200000 pesetas, versus 300000 pesetas). However, the ship had very bad performance levels, and Spain refused to continue the building of any other similar ships.
EJERCITO was designed to make 25 knots, but in her trials only reached 18 knots. Here speed was generally less than this. She was dropped from the navy rolls in 1900. Her boilers were removed and reused in the gunboat CONDOR
The vessel was named for the word "army" in Spanish.
Click here to see an image
and profile of this vessel!
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The vessel was built from funds raised by subscription from the public and was based on British class torpedoboats # 41-60. Later HABANA was renamed # 8, an then #45. By 1910, she ws determined to have no combat capability, was struck from the navy rolls in 1918.
The vessel was named for the capital of Cuba. .
Click here to see an image of the ORION!
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The vessel was later renamed #5 and then #42. She had a long beam and, as a result, had good seagoing capabilities, as was found during her passage from Kiel to Ferrol it the winter of 1886. In 1907, the vessel was reboilered (new boilers of Yarrow-system), but in 1908 she was determined to have no combat capability. She was dropped from the navy rolls in 1914.
The vessel was named for a hero of Greek mythology.
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Click here for a
profile of the RETAMOSA
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She was dropped from the navy rolls in 1900.
The vessel was named for a Spanish naval captain with a successful career against the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean.
Click
here for a profile of the RIGEL
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The RIGEL was based on the German SCHUTZE-class torpedo boat. The vessel had a very comfortable state-room for crew (in contrast to the other torpedoboats of this period.). She had an armoured conning tower. Her main armarment were bronze torpedo of the Schwartzcopf-class, that were antiquated for this times. The RIGEL travelled without assistance from Germany to La Coruna. By the middle of the 1890's, RIGAL was assigned to the Naval School of Cartagena. She was dropped from the navy rolls in 1900.
She was named for a star in the Orion
Constellation.
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There is no more information available on this
vessel. She was probably an experimental vessel
and didn't appear on the Navy rolls.
Mitiuckov, Nick, Naval Historian, Izhevsk, Russia (personal correspondence)
Diaz Diaz, Francisco Jose
FOCK's Schwartze Gesellan,
CONWAY's All the World's Fighting Ships, Vol 1 and 2.
AGUILERA's Buques de la Armada Espanola (Madrid: Editorial Silex, 1999), 344-345, 479-480.
Voennie floty i morskaya spravochnaya knizhka. Under edition of
His Emperor Highness, Great Kniaz Alexander Mikhailovich.
(Information on the AZOR Class and the RAYO Class provided by Luis Diaz)