Blas de Lezo-class cruiser
.jpg) Méndez Núñez after her 1944 refit | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Blas de Lezo class |
| Builders: | Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval in Ferrol |
| Operators: |
.svg.png){kind=small} Spanish Navy |
| Preceded by: | Navarra |
| Succeeded by: | Almirante Cervera-class cruiser |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Lost: | 1 |
| Retired: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 462 ft (141 m) |
| Beam: | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Draught: | 14 ft 4 in (4.37 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 shafts, Parsons Type geared turbines, 12 Yarrow Type boilers, 45,000 hp |
| Speed: | 29 knots (54 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 13 kn (24 km/h) |
| Complement: | 320 |
| Armament: |
|
| Armour: | 3 - 2 inch belt, 1 inch deck, 6 inch conning tower |
The Blas de Lezo-class cruisers were a group of two cruisers built for the Spanish Navy in the 1920s. The ships were ordered in 1915 but construction proceeded slowly due to materials shortages during World War I. The ships were built by Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval in Ferrol and showed considerable British design influence, resembling contemporary British C-class cruisers.
Mendez Nunez was reconstructed into an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1944. She was re-armed with 8 - 120mm Vickers anti-aircraft guns in single mountings, 4 × 2 37mm and 2 × 4 20mm light AA guns of German origin. The superstructure was completely rebuilt and fitted with modern fire control equipment. Two triple banks of torpedo tubes were retained.
Ships
| Ship | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blas de Lezo | 27 July 1922 | March 1925 | Wrecked 11 July 1932 |
| Mendez Nunez | 3 March 1923 | 1924 | Stricken 1963 |
Blas de Lezo's shakedown in 1923
- Blas de Lezo was named after Admiral Blas de Lezo. She struck a rock near Cape Finisterre in 1932 and sank in deep water.
- Mendez Nunez was named after Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez. She was based in Equatorial Guinea at the start of the Spanish Civil War and she returned home to fight for the Spanish Republican Navy. In 1939, following the Cartagena Uprising, she was interned in Bizerte and seized by the French authorities. She was later handed to Francoist Spain, serving until 1963.
References
- Whitley MJ. Cruisers of World War 2 an International Encyclopedia
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blas de Lezo class cruiser. |
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.