Jump to content
Game-Labs Forum

'San Hermenegildo' Spanish 1st Rate, 1789 (With Plans)


Ned Loe

Recommended Posts

altLDp1.jpg

CPqv4Hz.jpg

 

Qq7k6JX.jpg

30 × 36-pounder cannon
32 × 24-pounder cannon
32 × 12-pounder cannon
18 × 8-pounder cannon

800 Crew

 

San Hermenegildo was a 112-gun three-decker ship of the line built at Havanna for the Spanish Navy in 1789 to plans by Romero Landa, one of the eight very large ships of the line of the Santa Ana class, also known as los Meregildos. San Hermenegildo served in the Spanish Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars and was destroyed with heavy loss of life during the Second Battle of Algeciras.

Construction


The Santa Ana class was built for the Spanish fleet in the 1780s and 1790s as heavy ships of the line, the equivalent of Royal Navy first rate ships. The other ships of the class were the Santa Ana, Mexicano, Salvador del Mundo, Conde de Regla, Real Carlos, Reina María Luisa and Príncipe de Asturias. Three of the class were captured or destroyed during the French Revolutionary Wars.

History


In 1793, during the War of the Pyrenees, San Hermenegildo was the flagship of the squadron under Federico Gravina in the Mediterranean operating off Catalonia. The squadron subsequently participated in the evacuation of Toulon during the last stage of the siege, alongside the British fleet under Vice-Admiral Samuel Hood.

In 1800 San Hermenegildo was refitted at Ferrol, repairing a number of faults that had existed since her construction and increasing the weight of cannon that the ship could carry. Later in the year San Hermenegildo participated in repelling the British Ferrol Expedition.

By July 1801, San Hermenegildo was at Cádiz. When a French squadron defeated a British force at the First Battle of Algeciras on 6 July, San Hermenegildo joined the squadron sent to escort the French from Algeciras back to Cádiz. During the night of 12 July the combined force was returning through the Straits of Gibraltar when a British squadron attacked them at the Second Battle of Algeciras. During the confused night action which followed, HMS Superb cut through the rearguard and between Real Carlos and San Hermenegildo. The Spanish ships opened fire, striking one another, as a fire spread across Real Carlos's decks. In the darkness the two huge Spanish ships collided, fire spreading out of control until both exploded in a fireball that could be seen from shore. More than 1,700 men were killed in blast, one of the greatest losses of life at sea to that time.

Edited by Ned Loe
  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

HMS Superb cut through the rearguard and between Real Carlos and San Hermenegildo. The Spanish ships opened fire, striking one another, as a fire spread across Real Carlos's decks. In the darkness the two huge Spanish ships collided, fire spreading out of control until both exploded in a fireball that could be seen from shore. More than 1,700 men were killed in blast, one of the greatest losses of life at sea to that time.

Quote

 

That's not true. Superb did not pass between the Real Carlos and San Hermenegildo. Even the british historians don't believe it.

This is the official report of war by Keats ( Superb's captain):

"Superb, off of Trafalgar, july 13. I have the honour to inform you, that in consequence of your direction to make sail up to, and engage the sternmost of the enemy's ships, at half-past eleven I found myself a-breast the sternmost of a spanish three-decked ship (el Real Carlos), which having brought-in-one with two other ship nearly line a-breast, I opened my fire upon her at a distance, not more than three cables. This evidently produced a good effect, as well in this ship, as the others a-breast of her; which soon began firing on each other, and at times on the Superb. In about a quarter of an hour I perceived her to be on fire, and I procedeed on the ship next at hand, which proved to be the San Antonio of 74 guns and 750 men, under french colours, and wearing a broad pendant; which, after some action (the chief being wounded), struck her colours. I learnt that in the confusion of the action, the Hermenegildo mistaking the Real Carlos for an enemy, ran on board her, and shared her melancholy fate. Services of this nature cannot be expected to be performed without some loss".

 

You can use google translator to read this blog about this story: http://www.todoababor.es/articulos/des-1801.htm

I would translate some of the content, but it's too long and I am not feeling like doing it .......

 

Anyway, a great loss of lifes. RIP all of them.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...