Alfonso XIII

Alfonso XIII was a first-class protected cruiser of the Spanish Navy which served in the Spanish fleet from 1896 until the early years of the 20th century. Technical characteristics Alfonso XIII was built at the naval shipyard at Ferrol in Spain. Laid down in 1891, she was launched on 31 August 1891. In 1896, she entered service in a partially completed state as a training ship. She finally was fully completed and commissioned on 18 May 1900. The ships of the class were intended to have heavy armament and high speed on a small displacement. The lead ship, , although otherwise considered excellent, had proven top-heavy, so changes were made to Alfonso XIII to address this, including a smaller main gun. However, the changes, intended to improve upon Reina Regente, instead left Alfonso XIII lightly armed, slow, and still unstable in heavy seas. The Hontoria-built 7.9-inch (201 mm) guns were in single mounts on the broadside fore and aft, while the guns were in a central battery amidships. All five torpedo tubes were fixed and above the waterline, with two forward, one on each broadside, and one aft.