Spanish ship Duque de Tetuán (1874)
Encyclopedia
The floating battery
Duque de Tetuán was an ironclad warship, a low-freeboard
vessel similar in design to a monitor, of the Spanish Navy
, and was constructed during the Third Carlist War
to provide coastal defense
and fire support
for troops ashore. Completed after the end of the conflict for which it was designed, the ship was assigned to the defense of Ferrol. It remained in this duty, though briefly decommissioned in 1897, until it was decommissioned and scrapped in 1900.
, which had burned under suspicious circumstances during the Cantonist
rebellion at Cartagena
.
Armament consisted of a single 160 millimetres (6.3 in) cannon, and four 120 millimetres (4.7 in) rifled cannon. The construction of Duque de Tetuán took place at Cartagena
, and the incomplete vessel was among the vessels captured by the rebel forces when they seized the city.
Considered a third-rate ship by the close of the 19th century, Duque de Tetuán was decommissioned and struck from the official strength of the Armada by 1897. However, in 1898, the outbreak of the Spanish-American War
led to its being recommissioned, to once more defend Ferrol against attack, the ship being fitted with controls for the electric mines that had been laid to protect the base.
After the end of the war, Duque de Tetuán was again decommissioned, and was sold for scrap in 1900.
Floating battery
A floating battery is a kind of armed watercraft, often improvised or experimental, which carries a heavy armament but has few other qualities as a warship.An early appearance was during the Great Siege of Gibraltar....
Duque de Tetuán was an ironclad warship, a low-freeboard
Freeboard (nautical)
In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...
vessel similar in design to a monitor, of the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
, and was constructed during the Third Carlist War
Third Carlist War
The Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is very often referred to as the Second Carlist War, as the 'second' had been small in scale and almost trivial in political consequence....
to provide coastal defense
Coastal defence ship
Coastal defence ships were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrificed speed and range for armour and armament...
and fire support
Fire support
Fire support is long-range firepower provided to a front-line military unit. Typically, fire support is provided by artillery or close air support , and is used to shape the battlefield or, more optimistically, define the battle...
for troops ashore. Completed after the end of the conflict for which it was designed, the ship was assigned to the defense of Ferrol. It remained in this duty, though briefly decommissioned in 1897, until it was decommissioned and scrapped in 1900.
Design
Designed and constructed by the Reales Astilleros de Esteiro at Ferrol to meet an Armada requirement for a floating battery capable of providing gunfire support to troops ashore during the Third Carlist War, Duque de Tetuán was of wooden construction, its hull plated with iron armor 100 millimetres (3.9 in) thick. Some of the armor plate used in the construction of Duque de Tetuán came from the earlier armoured frigate TetuanSpanish ironclad Tetuán
The Spanish ironclad Tetuán was an armored frigate built in the royal dockyard at El Ferrol during the 1860s.-External links:*...
, which had burned under suspicious circumstances during the Cantonist
Cantonalism
Cantonalism, mainly prevalent in late 19th century and early 20th century Spain, is an insurrectionary movement which aims to divide the nation state into almost independent cantons....
rebellion at Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
.
Armament consisted of a single 160 millimetres (6.3 in) cannon, and four 120 millimetres (4.7 in) rifled cannon. The construction of Duque de Tetuán took place at Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
, and the incomplete vessel was among the vessels captured by the rebel forces when they seized the city.
Career
Despite the urgent need for such a vessel to provide fire support in the government's campaign against the Carlists, Duque de Tetuán was not completed in time to participate in the war. Of little use in any offensive role as a result of its design, it was considered "a failure as a ship of war", and was assigned to the defense of the Armada base at Ferrol. Duque de Tetuán served in this unglamorous role, seeing no action, for the duration of its career.Considered a third-rate ship by the close of the 19th century, Duque de Tetuán was decommissioned and struck from the official strength of the Armada by 1897. However, in 1898, the outbreak of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
led to its being recommissioned, to once more defend Ferrol against attack, the ship being fitted with controls for the electric mines that had been laid to protect the base.
After the end of the war, Duque de Tetuán was again decommissioned, and was sold for scrap in 1900.