Spanish destroyer Pluton

"Pluton", was an "Audaz"-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Technical Characteristics

"Pluton" was built in the United Kingdom. Her keel was laid by Thomson on 12 February 1897; the company changed its name to Clydebank Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. in April 1897 and completed her under this name on 4 November1897. She had three funnels. In the parlance of the day, she was a "torpedo boat destroyer", designed to protect larger ships against torpedo boat attack, but also carrying torpedoes with which to attack larger ships herself.

Operational History

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The Spanish-American War began while "Pluton" was at Sao Vicente. Ordered by neutral Portugal in accordance with international law to leave Sao Vicente within 24 hours of the declaration of war, "Pluton" and the rest of Cervera's squadron departed on 29 April 1898, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. Because of contnuing engine trouble and low coal supplies, "Pluton" and her fellow destroyers were towed part of the way. Cervera's ships reached French-owned Martinique in the Lesser Antilles on 10 May 1898. While "Pluton" and the armored cruisers loitered in interational waters, "Furor" and "Terror" went into Fort-de-France to ask for coal. France was neutral and would not supply coal, so the Spanish squadron -- minus "Terror", which stayed behind at Fort-de-France with engine trouble -- departed on 12 May 1898 for Dutch-owned Curacao, where Cervera expected to meet a collier. Cervera arrived at Willemstad on 14 May, but the Netherlands also was neutral, and strictly enforced its neutrality by allowing only "Vizcaya" and "Infanta Maria Teresa" to enter port and permitting them to load only 600 tons of coal. On 15 May, Cervera's ships departed, no longer bound for San Juan, which by now was under a U.S. Navy blockade, but for as-yet unblockaded Santiago de Cuba on the southeastern coast of Cuba, arriving there on 19 May 1898. Cervera hoped to refit his ships there before he could be trapped. His squadron was still in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba when an American squadron arrived on 27 May 1898 and began a blockade which would drag on for 37 days.

Some action occurred during the blockade. On 3 June 1898, the U.S. Navy steamed the collier USS "Merrimac" into the entrance channel to the harbor, hoping to scuttle her so as to block the channel and trap the Spanish ships inside. Spanish shore batteries already had disabled "Merrimac" when she drifted up the channel to a point where the Spanish ships could fire on her as well. "Pluton", "Vizacaya", and unprotected cruiser "Reina Mercedes" all opened fire, and "Merrimac" quickly sank in a position that did not block the entrance.

The blockade wore on, with "Pluton" and the others enduring occasional American naval bombardments of the harbor. Some of her men joined others from the fleet in a Naval Brigade to fight against a U.S. Army overland drive toward Santiago de Cuba.

By the beginning of July 1898, that drive threatened to capture Santiago de Cuba, and Cervera decided that his squadron's only hope was to try to escape into the open sea by running the blockade. The decision was made on 1 July 1898, with the break-out set for 3 July 1898. The crew of "Pluton" spent 2 July 1898 returning from Naval Brigade service and preparing for action. "Pluton" was to be the sixth and last ship in line during the escape, following the four armored cruisers and "Furor"; while "Infanta Maria Teresa" sacrificed herself by attacking the fastest American ship, the armored cruiser USS "Brooklyn", "Pluton" and the others were to avoid action, put on all the speed they could, and run for the open sea.

At about 0845 hours on 3 July 1898, the Spanish ships got underway. The U.S. squadron sighted the Spanish ships in the channel at about 0935, and the Battle of Santiago de Cuba began.

While the four armored cruisers turned to starboard to run westward, "Pluton" and "Furor" turned inside them and made their run closer to the coast. The blockading American battleships and armored cruisers opened fire on the two destroyers as they emerged from the channel, hitting both destroyes several times, but then turned their attention to pursuing the Spanish cruisers. The two damaged destroyers put on speed, pursued only by the armed yacht USS "Gloucester", a ship less well armed than the destroyers, but larger, faster, and undamaged. "Gloucester" hit both destroyers repeatedly. Too badly damaged to continue, "Pluton" ran herself aground at 1045 on the beach just west of Cabanas Bay, a total loss. Those of her crew who got ashore had to beware of Cuban insurgents, who began shooting Spanish sailors they found along the shore. Other survivors were taken off by U.S. sailors who brought small boats alongside her wreck.

References

*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, 1898". Conshohocken, Pennsylvania:Combined Books, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0938289578.

External links

* [http://www.spanamwar.com/tbd.htm The Spanish-American War Centennial Website: Torpedo-Boat Destroyers "Furor", "Pluton", and "Terror"]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/spain/spsh-mr/pluton.htm Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center: Online Library of Selected
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