700-72 CRISTÓBAL COLÓN SPANISH NAVY ARMORED CRUISER

Cristobal Colon (1896) was a Spanish armored cruiser from the end of the 19th century, the keel of which was laid in 1895, launched in September 1896, and commissioned in the Spanish Navy in 1897. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 111.7 m, width 18.7 m, and the actual full displacement - approx. 6,800 tons. The maximum speed of the ship was 19.5 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch included: 10 152 mm guns, 6 120 mm guns and 10 57 mm guns. Cristobal Colon was initially built for the Italian Regia Marina. It belonged to the successful type of Garibaldi cruisers, which had very good armor, with a slightly lower top speed. Still "on the ramp" was purchased by Spain in the face of the expected outbreak of war with the United States. Interestingly, the ship - unlike its Italian counterparts - did not have the main armament of 254 mm cannons. The unit was sent to Cuba almost immediately after it was purchased and entered service. In May, he took part in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. Finally, the unit was sunk by its own crew on July 3, 1898.