Her keel was laid down at the shipyard Normand, Le Havre, France in 1896, launched on 17 September 1898 and completed two years later., around 1914 converted into a minelayer (1), since 1921 seaplane tender/harbour depot ship stationed in Barcelona and finally stricken in 1931. With a displacement of 1.773 (in 1913)-1.875 (normal)-1.950 (full loaded) were her dimensions 75,0 (between perpendiculars)-76,3 (over all) x 10,8 x 4,35 (mean)-4,70 (maximum) metres or 246-250 1/3 x 35¼-35 1/3 x 14½ (mean)-15½ (maximum)feet. The two vertical triple expansion engines and four Normand-Sigaudly boilers supplied 7.100 hp allowing a speed of 20 (maximum) knots while with a speed of 10 knots and a coal bunker capacity she had a range of 3.600 nautical miles. Her building was financed by Spanish natives living in Argentina and Uruguay. Her crew numbered as a protected cruiser 213 men. The armour consisted of 1,5cm thick deck of steel sloping to maximum 2cm and with a conning tower protected by 12cm thick armour. The original armament consisted of 2x1-14cm guns, 4x1-10cm guns, 6x1-5,7cm guns, 2x1-3,7cm guns and 2 torpedo tubes. In 1920 consisted her armament as a minelayer of 2x1-14cm guns, 4x1-10,5cm guns and further more a not specified number of mines. As a sea plane tender consisted her armament of 2x1-14cm guns and 2x1-10,5cm guns.; in 1930 of 2-4’1” guns, 4-6pdr guns and 4-1pdrs.
The Dutch newspaper Nieuwsblad van het Noorden dated 23 August 1911 published an item dated Le Ferrol 23 August that she was ordered to depart immediately with war stores towards Cadiz.
Note
1. The Dutch newspaper Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad dated 1 May 1915 reported that in El Ferrol 1.000 mines were produced and that the cruiser Rio de la Plata was fitted out with a device for laying mines. She carried at that moment 38 British mines with her.
