Torpedoboats

The following is some basic information on the Spanish Torpedo boats, 1st Class. Torpedo boats of this class displaced in excess of 100 tons, and were intended for use at sea rather than merely for coastal port defense as were the second class torpedo boats. The authors ares 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!

These vessels were equipped with Whitehead torpedoes. The first vessels of this type

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Range	Bunker capacity	Class
128 tons	45m long x 4.42m wide x 1.4 m draft	800	26 knots	1500 miles	35 tons	Rayo

ARIETE ("RAM") and RAYO ("RAY") were both constructed by Thornycroft (England), in 1886 and 1887 respectively at a cost of 37,000 pounds each.. They carried two 14 inch Whitehead torpedo tubes, and four 42 mm Nordenfelt machine guns. These vessel had two locomotive boilers with asymmetric chimneys located which were not located on the main axis of the ship, but towards the sides. The engines could create 1,300 horsepower, and had a speed of at least 25 knots (ARIETE reached 27 knots, a record at the time).The ships had a complement of 25 men. There speed was a record for in its day. The ARIETE and RAYO were to have joined Don Fernando Villaamil's torpedo group in Admiral Cervera's squadron, but this did not occur because it was thought that the conditions of a sea passage for the vessels made the trek unadvisable. Both saw service until 1905.

AZOR, HALCON

Click here to see a plan and profile of the AZOR!

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Range	Bunker capacity	Class
120 tons	45m long	1600	24 knots	1400 miles	25 tons	Azor

AZOR and HALCON ("HAWK") were constructed by Yarrow (England) - Inglaterra in 1887 at a cost of 17,000 pounds each. They carried three Whitehead torpedo tubes (two in the bow, and one in the stern) and two machine guns. The vessels were equipped with locomotive boilers which had their funnels adjacent to each other. The ship was divided into 10 watertight compartments. These were among the first Spanish torpedo boats with good facilities for the crew. These vessels carried a crew complement of 23 men. The AZOR was to have joined Don Fernando Villaamil's torpedo group in Admiral Cervera's squadron, but this did not occur because it was thought that the conditions of a sea passage for the vessel made the trek unadvisable. AZOR collided with the ORION in the Bay of Cadiz on April 8, 1911 during military exercises.

Bibliography:

Mitiuckov, Nick, Naval Historian, Izhevsk, Russia (personal correspondence)

Aceñero, Lluis Domingo - personal correspondence

de Juan and Peñalosa, Javier and Santiago Fernandez Gimenez, History of Navigation. Editions "Urbion", (Spain, 1980) 245-246.

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)

Please note that we are looking for more information on these vessels. If you have additional data, please contact us!
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Spanish Torpedo Boats, First Class

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Spanish Torpedo Boats, First Class

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