Ron van Maanen
Steel hull build. Laid down in July 1895 at the shipyard of Thompson, Clydebank, United Kingdom for service in Cuba, the same month launched and between 1895 and 1899 completed and was she mid 1899 acquired by Venezuela from Spain as the gunboat 2nd class Diego de Velazquez (or Diego Velasques) and stricken in 1945. With a displacement of 200 (normal) tons were her dimensions 140 x 17½ x 7½ feet or 41,5 x 5,80 x 2,50 metres. The vertical triple expansion engine supplied 315 hp allowing a speed of 10 knots and with a coal bunker capacity and a speed of 8 knots was her range 850 nautical miles. Her crew numbered 55 men and the armament consisted of 2-6pdr guns and 2 machineguns although other sources reported 4x1-57/43 Nordenfelt guns.
An item dated San Domingo 1 March published by the extra edition of the Boston Evening Transcript dated 1 March 1904 reported that the Morales government (1) was interested in buying her from Venezola for 200.000 or 300.000 American dollars in six rounds however not in cash but in 5.000 Mauser rifles with a million rounds of ammunition. This exchange was offered by Lopez the Dominican minister at Caracas to the Venezuelan president Castro.(1)
Notes
1. Named after general Carlos F. Morales Languasco who after December 1903 funded a provisional government with as second man Cáceres and who became president on 19 June 1904 although Cáceres became president on 29 December a year later after Morales tried to take over the control and was taken prisoner and finally exiled.
2. Cipriano Castro ( 12 October 1858 Capacho, Táchira, Venezuela-4 December 1924 San Juan, Puerto Rico), President of Venezola 20 October 1899-19 December 1908. Venezuela was in the Venezuela Crisis in 1902-1903 blockaded by the USA resulting in the Roosevelt Corollary meaning that the USA had the right to interfere when the economy of small states in the Mid and South America was so weak that it was impossible to pay their international debts. The USA wanted to prevent an increase of the European sphere of influence.
