Jorge Juan was a Jorge Juan-class sloop

Sloop

A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....

 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...

 which was sunk during 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...

.

Technical Characteristics

Jorge Juan was built at La Seyne in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. She was launched in 1876. She had a composite hull, one funnel, one screw, and a barque

Barque

A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...

 rig. She was the lead ship of a class of two sloops.

Operational history

During 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...

 in 1898, Jorge Juan was in Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. She was anchored in Nipe Bay

Nipe Bay

Nipe Bay is a bay on the northern coast of eastern Cuba. It is where the statue of Our Lady of Charity, Patroness of Cuba, was discovered miraculously around 1600. The Battle of Nipe Bay happened on July 21, 1898; it was a naval engagement in the Spanish-American War. Fidel Castro was born near...

 when, late on the morning of 21 July 1898, the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 armed yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

 USS Wasp

USS Wasp (1898)

The seventh USS Wasp was an armed yacht that served in the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1919 and saw service in the Spanish-American War.-Acquisition and commissioning:...

 and armed tug

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 USS Leyden

USS Leyden (1865)

The first USS Leyden was a screw steamer that operated as a tug in the U.S. Navy from 1866 to 1903 and saw combat service in the Spanish-American War in 1898.Leyden was launched in 1865 by James Tetlow, Chelsea, Massachusetts...

 moved in toward Port Nipe in order to reconnoitre the bay

Battle of Nipe Bay

The Battle of Nipe Bay on July 21, 1898 was an engagement of the Spanish-American War. The battle was fought in Nipe Bay, Cuba, by four United States Navy warships against the Spanish sloop-of-war Jorge Juan and three gunboats which were supported by forts guarding the harbor.-Battle:Nipe Bay had...

. Wasp immediately sighted Jorge Juan at anchor some four miles up the bay. Wasp fired several shots at the signal station located at the bay's entrance, then sped forward to engage Jorge Juan. At 1244, Jorge Juan opened fire at extreme range, and Wasp returned fire immediately. Leyden, followed by gunboats USS Annapolis

USS Annapolis (PG-10)

The first USS Annapolis was a gunboat in the United States Navy. She was named for Annapolis, Maryland.Annapolis was laid down on 18 April 1896 at Elizabethport, New Jersey, by Lewis Nixon and his shipyard superintendent, Arthur Leopold Busch; launched on 23 December 1896; sponsored by Ms...

 and USS Topeka

USS Topeka (PG-35)

USS Topeka was a gunboat of the United States Navy.The ship was built in 1881 as the steamer Diogenes by the Howaldtswerke at Kiel, Germany. Acquired by the Navy from the Thames Iron Works, London, England, on 2 April 1898, she was renamed Topeka, and placed in commission the same day, Lieutenant...

, quickly joined in. As the range decreased, American gunfire became more accurate, and all four ships began scoring telling hits on Jorge Juan. Finally, at 1312, Jorge Juan stuck her colors. The four American warships ceased fire and watched Jorge Juan sink at 1342.