Spanish corvette Tornado

For other ships with the same name, see Spanish ship Tornado.
Painting of CSS Alabama, sister ship of Tornado, on display at the US Navy's Naval Historical Center
History
Confederate States
NameCSS Texas
Launched1863
Commissioned1865
FatePurchased by Chile for £75,000.
Chile
OwnerChilean Navy
AcquiredFebruary 1866
RenamedPampero
FateCaptured off Madeira by the Spanish frigate Gerona.
Spain
Acquired1870
Commissioned1870
Decommissioned1938
RenamedTornado
Captured28 October 1873
Fate
  • Sunk by aircraft in 1938
  • Hull broken up in 1939
General characteristics
Displacement2,100 tons[1]
Length231 ft (70 m)[1]
Beam33 ft (10 m)[1]
PropulsionSteam, sail
Speed13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)[1]
Range1,700 miles (2,700 km)[1]
Armament
  • 1 × 7.8 in (198 mm) muzzleloading Parrott gun[1]
  • 2 × 160/15 cal gun
  • 2 × 120 mm (5 in) bronze gun[1]
  • 2 × 87 mm (3 in)/24 cal Hontoria breechloading guns[1]

Tornado was a bark-rigged screw steam corvette[2][3] of the Spanish Navy, first launched at Clydebank, Scotland in 1863, as the Confederate raider CSS Texas. She is most famous for having captured the North American filibustering ship Virginius, which led to the "Virginius Affair", which afterwards led to the Spanish-American Crisis of 1873.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Christian de Saint Hubert, "The Early Spanish Steam Warships 1834-1870". Warship International 1983.
  2. ^ Hagan, p. 180
  3. ^ Albertson, p. 17