THE SPANISH BOATS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 103, 3 May 1898, Page 5

THE SPANISH BOATS.

The Reina Christina, which, it is reported, w_w destroyed in the engagement, was somewhat old-fashioned in build, being launched at Fermi about 12years ago. Her displacement was 3,520, and complement of men 350. Her armament, owing to the fact that she wm clawed purely as a cruiser was not heavy, consisting of six o.2in, two •2.Tin. three 2.2 in quick tiring, two I.Sin, six 3-pounder, and two muzzle-loading guns. She has also five torpedo Lube*. The Don Juan do Austria, which was blown up, was a smaller veswcl than the Reina Christina, aud ranked as an entirely unprotected cruiser, carrying a complement of 130 officers. Her armament consisted of four 4.Tin, three 2,2 in quick-firing, two l.oiri and live muzzle-load ing guns. She was not regarded as likely to give a good account of herself in an engagement, and the opinion ot experts has in her case met with absolute confirmation. The Castella, the third Spanish participant in the tight reported as destroyed, was an even more useless vessel for fighting than the Don Juan of Austria. She was built of wood and her complement of oflieersand men was 300. Her armament included four 5.9 in (Krupp), two 4.Tin, two B.3in, four 0.29 in, eight quick-tiring, and two muzzle-loading guns. ,Of the other warships whose names occur in tlte account of the tight the Don Antonio do Ulloa, an iron cruiser of 1,130 tons displacement, was built at Cadiz in 1887. Her armament consists of four 4. Tin, two 2.Tin, two quick-firing, and five muzzle-ioading guns. A vessel of this class would not be of much use against more modern-armoured warships. The Isla do Cuba is a steel cruiser, built at Els wick in 1887. Her deck isprotected with armour 2hin thick. Her horse-power is 2,200, speed 16 knots, coal supply 100 tons, and complement IGO ollicers and men ; and her armament consists of four 4.Tin, four sixpounder quick-firing, two three-pounder, and two muzzle-loading guns.

WEAKNESS OF SPANISH WAR SHIPS.

A naval officer of high rank in Boston on March 19th received the following important, disclosures of the fatal and heretofore unkuown weaknesses of nearly all of Spain's warships (says an American paper), written by the uncompromising Spanish writer, Don E. Guerrero. The battleship Pelayo is one of the best of its class. Its artillery can pierce -tlie fdrongest armours, but it has one great defect. Its capacity for coal does not allow it to take on enough for a trip of over 3,000 miles. doing to Cuba, the Pelayo must either stop at some foreign port to renew its coal supply, or carry along with her another ship with a cargo of coal. The cruisers AI mirante Oquendo, Infanta Maria Terasa, and Vi/.eaya are not entirely protected. The cruiser Alfonso Nil I. is absolutely unprotected. Its hull can be perforated by guns of smaller calibre, and it is, therefore, useless against battleships in a naval contest. The cruisers Alfonso XII. and Reina Cristina are also unprotected. They can make 111 knots an hour, hut not over 4,000 miles without, renewing their coal supplies. The cruisers Condo de Venadito, Marques de la Ensanatla, Islade Luzon, Infanta Isabel, Don Juan do Austria, and Don Antonio de Ulloa are absolutely unprotected, and make only from 13 to 14 miles an hour. None of them would be of service in case of a naval battle. They would be serviceable only in minor capacities, because they must keep away from the (jnemy's armoured and modern warship, and on account of their slowness they eanuot be employed as

cruisers between better ships of a navy o1 from a navy to a Spanish port. " The torpedo boats t.alitia, Marquis de Moiins, Martin Alonzo Piitzon, Vinc-cnUs Yanez Ptnzon and Neuva Ivqmna are of Is knots speed, and have nt her good qualities, but art; available only when it is possible to surprise a battleship <>r cruiser. The other warships now in Cuban waters are mostly small gunboats, and arc useless in naval warfare. It is difficult to say whether the battleship Carlos V. is worth anything, but she was built by the shipbuilding tiriii> of Vega Murguia, of Cadiz, which constructed the gunboat I'ilipinas, now olliciully declared lo be worthless. The torpedo gunboats Marques do la Victoria, Donna Maria de Mohan, and Don Alva.ro de Bazan Men; built by the houw; of Cilotero, of Fermi, which constructed the gunboats I'clia, Rubi, and Diamante, now declared to be deficient, and also the torpedo gunboats Galicia, Neuva, Espana, the Moiins, and the Pinzon, which according to contract ought to have a speed of 21 knots, though they show only is. Wesay nothing about other warships in Spain's naval list beeaus.* it is a well-known fact that they are of no use whatever.