Spanish cruiser Reina Cristina

"Reina Cristina" was an "Alfonso XII"-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy which fought in the Battle of Manila Bay.

Technical Characteristics

"Reina Cristina" was built at the naval shipyard at Ferrol and launched 2 May 1887. [ "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905" p. 384; [http://spanamwar.com/Reinacristina.htm The Spanish-American War Centennial Website "Reina Cristina"] claims the launch date was 24 October 1887. ] She had two funnels. Her main armament was built by Hontoria and sponson-mounted. Her five torpedo tubes were all fixed; two were forward, one was on each beam, and one was aft. Although unprotected and therefore lacking armor, she had 12 watertight compartments built in a French-style cellular system to help her resist flooding. [ "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905" p. 384] She was designed for colonial service, combining high speed with a moderate level of armament; due to chronic boiler problems, however, her designed top speed proved unattainable, and in practice her top speed was about 10 knots. Her design made her unsuited to combat with the types of heavily armed and armored ships she was destined to meet in Manila Bay in 1898. [ [http://spanamwar.com/Reinacristina.htm The Spanish-American War Centennial Website "Reina Cristina"] ]

Operational History

"Reina Cristina" spent her early years in Spanish waters. In 1894 she was transferred to the Spanish Navy's Asiatic Squadron to deter any aggressive moves the German Empire might take against the Spanish-owned Caroline Islands in the Pacific. She became flagship of the squadron. [ [http://spanamwar.com/Reinacristina.htm The Spanish-American War Centennial Website "Reina Cristina"] ]

When Spain faced the "Tagalog Revolt" (1896-1897) - the Spanish name for the first two years of the Philippine Revolution - in the Philippine Islands, "Reina Cristina" was actively involved in the Spanish campaign to put down the revolt. In addition to patrolling Philippine waters to prevent the smuggling of contraband to the insurgents, she also supported Spanish Army actions against them at Cavite, Novaleta, and Binacayan, including the provision of naval gunfire support to Spanish troops ashore. [ [http://spanamwar.com/Reinacristina.htm The Spanish-American War Centennial Website "Reina Cristina"] ]

"Reina Cristina" was the flagship of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo de Pasaron's Pacific Squadron at Manila in the Philippine Islands when the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898. At 1100 hours on 25 April 1898, "Reina Cristina" and the rest of the squadron departed Manila Bay en route Subic Bay, where Montojo thought he could take advantage of a minefield and coastal defense guns in the face of the American naval attack he believed his squadron soon would face. However, when Montojo arrived at Subic Bay, he found that few of the mines had been laid and the coastal battery had not yet been mounted.

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At 0400 hours on 1 May 1898, Montojo's squadron was still anchored there when he signalled all ships to prepare for action, and "Reina Cristina" readied herself to meet an imminent American attack. Just before 0500 hours, the United States Navy's Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey was sighted, approaching to attack the Spanish ships in their anchorage. In a few minutes, the first shots of the Battle of Manila Bay, the first major engagement of the Spanish-American War, were fired.

" concentrating their fire on "Reina Cristina". Soon thereafter, "Reina Cristina" was hit twice in rapid succession as Dewey's squadron steamed past; the hits knocked out several of her light guns and started fires, although her crew quickly put the fires out. The American squadron then reversed course and made a second pass. This time, "Reina Cristina"'s casualties began to mount as she took numerous hits, including to her forecastle and hull; new fires broke out, and Montojo ordered her after magazine flooded to prevent a catastrophic magazine explosion. Dewey's ships then again reversed course and made a third firing pass.

As the American squadron again reversed course to make a fourth pass, Montojo ordered "Reina Cristina" to get underway. She steamed slowly toward Dewey's flagship, "Olympia", with an intention of ramming "Olympia". This prompted Dewey to order his squadron to close with and concentrate fire on "Reina Cristina", and the range of the one-sided fight quickly closed to 1,200 yards (1,097 m). "Reina Cristina" soon was afire in several places, with most of her guns knocked out, her steering gear shot away, many holes blown in her hull, funnel, and mast, and half of her crew, including seven officers, killed or wounded.

Viewing "Reina Cristina" as beyond saving and fearing her magazines would explode, Montojo ordered her scuttled and abandoned. Gunboats "Isla de Cuba" and "Isla de Luzon" came alongside to take off the wounded as American gunfire continued to pummel "Reina Cristina" and inflict casualties; among them was "Reina Cristina"'s commanding officer, Captain Luis Cadarso y Rey, who refused to abandon ship until all his men were off before him and who was killed by an American shell while overseeing the abandonment of his cruiser. "Reina Cristina", a burning wreck, soon sank.

Notes

References

*Aguilera, Alfredo, and Vicente Elias. "Buques de Guerra Espanoles (1885-1971)" ["Ships of Spain's Wars (1885-1971)"] , 2nd edition. Madrid:Editorial San Martin, 1972.
*de Bordeje y Morencos, Rear Admiral F. "Cronica de la Marina Espanola en el Siglo XIXX, 1868-1898" ("Chronicles of the Spanish Navy in the Nineteenth Century, 1868-1898"). Madrid:"Minesterio de Defensa", 1995.
*Chao, General Andres Mas. "La Guerra de Filipinas 1896-1898" ("War in the Philippines 1896-1898"). Madrid:Editorial San Martin, 1998.
*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. ISBN 0831703024.
*Nofi, Albert A. "The Spanish-American War." Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: Combined Books Inc., 1996. ISBN 0938289578.
*Pery, Jose Cervera. "La Guerra Naval del 98" ("The Naval War in '98"). Madrid:Editorial San Martin, 1998.

External links

* [http://spanamwar.com/Reinacristina.htm The Spanish-American War Centennial Website "Reina Cristina"]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/spain/spsh-mr/r-cristn.htm Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center: Online Library of Selected
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