Spanish cruiser Castilla

Castilla class cruiser
Castila
History
Armada Española EnsignSpain
NameCastilla
NamesakeCastile, an historical region of Spain
Ordered1869
BuilderLa Carraca shipyard, Cadiz, Spain
Laid downMay 1869
LaunchedAugust 1881[1]
Completed1881 or 1882[2]
Commissioned1882
FateSunk 1 May 1898
General characteristics
Class and typeAragon-class unprotected cruiser
Displacement3,289 tons
Length236 ft 0 in (71.93 m)
Beam44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
Draft23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) maximum
Installed power1,400 ihp (1,000 kW)
Propulsion1-shaft, 3-cylinder, horizontal compound
Sail planBarque-rigged
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement392 officers and enlisted
Armament
  • As completed, included 8 x 8 in (203 mm) 180-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns
  • By 1885:
  • 4 × 5.9 in (150 mm) guns
  • 2 × 4.7 in (119 mm) breech-loading guns
  • 2 × 87 mm guns
  • 4 × 75 mm guns
  • 10 × machine guns
  • 2 × 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes
Notes460 tons of coal (normal)

Castilla was an Aragon-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War. She was built at Cadiz, Spain. Her construction as an armored corvette with a central battery ironclad design began in 1869. In 1870, her design was changed to that of an unprotected cruiser or wooden corvette, and, after political events delayed her construction. During the first two years of the Philippine Revolution in 1896–1897, Castilla patrolled to intercept contraband destined for the Philippine insurgents and supported Spanish Army forces fighting ashore in Cavite Province on Luzon. When the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898, Castilla was part of the squadron of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón in Manila Bay and was subsequently engaged and sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay.

  1. ^ Castilla at the Spanish–American War Centennial website claims an 1879 launch, but Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905, p. 383, claims 1881 and Spanish Wooden Cruisers at the Spanish–American War Centennial website specifies August 1881
  2. ^ Castilla at the Spanish–American War Centennial website claims completion in 1881, while Spanish Wooden Cruisers at the Spanish–American War Centennial website claims completion in 1882.