Baleares was a Canarias-class

Canarias class Cruiser

The Canarias class was a class of heavy cruiser of the Spanish Navy. Two ships of the class were completed in the 1930s. They were designed in the United Kingdom and were modified versions of the Royal Navy's County class cruiser. They were built in Spain by the Vickers-Armstrongs subsidiary...

 heavy cruiser

Heavy cruiser

The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...

 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...

. She was designed in Great Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and was a modified version of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

′s County-class cruiser

County class cruiser

The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruiser construction for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Washington Naval Conference of 1922...

. She was built in Spain by the Vickers-Armstrongs subsidiary Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval

Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval

From 1909 up until the Spanish Civil War, the naval construction in Spain was monopolized by the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval - also Spanish Society for Naval Construction was largely owned by the British , and therefore almost all ships were designed after Royal Navy vessels...

, and saw service during the Spanish Civil War

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

, when she was torpedoed and sunk by Republican destroyers in the Battle of Cape Palos

Battle of Cape Palos

The Battle of Cape Palos, also known as the Second Battle of Cape Palos, was the biggest naval battle of the Spanish Civil War, fought on the night of March 5–6, 1938, east of Cape Palos near Cartagena, Spain.-Leadup to the battle:...

.

History

In December 1936, Baleares was commissioned in an incomplete state, not mounting the fourth turret

Gun turret

A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...

. The turret was installed by June 1937.

Spanish Civil War

On 12 July 1937, Baleares encountered six Republican destroyers escorting two merchants near Valencia. After a brief exchange of fire, the Republican ships escaped.

In the afternoon of 7 September 1937, Baleares encountered four Republican merchant ships escorted by the cruisers Libertad and Méndez Núñez and six destroyers in the Battle of Cape Cherchell

Battle of Cape Cherchell

The Battle of Cape Cherchell was a naval battle between the Nationalist heavy cruiser Baleares and the Republican light cruisers Libertad and Méndez Núñez in the Spanish Civil War, several miles north of the Algerian city of Cherchell...

. While the destroyers and merchants broke off the engagement, Libertad and Méndez Núñez engaged Baleares. the cruiser was damaged by several hits from Libertad in critical areas and a fire in the 120 mm (4.7 in) ammunition storeroom, but she successfully broke off the combat.

In March 1938, Baleares—along with fellow Nationalist cruisers and —engaged the Republican cruisers and , accompanied by five destroyers, off 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...

, in the Battle of Cape Palos

Battle of Cape Palos

The Battle of Cape Palos, also known as the Second Battle of Cape Palos, was the biggest naval battle of the Spanish Civil War, fought on the night of March 5–6, 1938, east of Cape Palos near Cartagena, Spain.-Leadup to the battle:...

. At around 02:15 on 6 March, the Nationalist and Republican cruisers engaged in an ineffective gunnery duel. During this gunnery duel, the Republican destroyers , , and all fired their torpedoes. Two or three of Lepanto′s torpedoes hit Baleares between the "A" and "B" turrets, detonating her forward magazine and sinking her. Out of her crew of 1,206, she had 765 seamen killed or missing, among them Vice-Admiral Manuel Vierna Belando, commander of the cruiser division.

The British destroyers and rescued part of the survivors, although a Republican air attack interrupted the rescue and caused one British fatality.
A monument to the crew killed in the sinking of Baleares has been erected in Palma de Mallorca

Palma de Mallorca

Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...

. In the Basque town of Ondárroa

Ondarroa

Ondarroa is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-Main sights:*Church of St. Mary, in late Gothic style *Likona Tower, a typical Basque tower-house....

, from which many of the crewmembers came, there are two monuments honoring Baleares, in the port and the cemetery.

External links

• BUQUESDEGUERRA.TK, a Spanish website about warships (Spanish)