Espana-class
An item reported that the Spanish parliament (the Cortes) intended to approve the program for a further increase of the fleet [Plan de la Segunda Escuadra] including the building of a 27.000 tons battleship and several smaller vessels and submarines partly to be built at Cadiz and Bilbao. The project battleship was to be of the dreadnought type and to be named Reina Victoria.(1) She was to be laid down immediately after the planned launching on February of the Alfonso XIII.(2)
Notes
1. This must be the Reina Victoria Eugenia lead ship of her class with a displacement of 21.000 tons, a machinery consisting of 4 turbines allowing a speed of 21 knots and an armament of 4x2-34,3cm/15” and 20-15,2cm/6” guns. Her sister ships were just mentioned as ‘B’ and ‘C’, all three to be built in England but due to the outbreak of the First World War and the British involvement never realized. The ships were to be laid down in 1914-1915 and to be completed around 1920. Design of Vickers-Armstrong and to be built by John Brown, Clydebank, Scotland. Probably would the Spanish dreadnought were lookalikes of their British opponents with 2 closely spaced funnels and super-firing gun turrets on the fore and aft ship as for instance the Queen-Elizabeth-class built between 1912-196.
2. Of the Espana-class consisting of the Espana, Jaime I and the Alfonso XIII (launched on 16 August 1915).
