Jaime
I
Pride of the
Republican Navy
Jaime
I was the last of three Espana Class Dreadnought Battleships build by Spain
between 1909 and 1923. The ships were part of an informal mutual defence treaty
between France, Britain and Spain, the building of the ships was supported by
Britain and the construction of Jaime I was much delayed due to Britains involvement
in WW1 which caused supply difficulties, and even though she was virtually
complete and ready for sea by May 1915, her main guns could not be delivered
until 1919. The Espana class of Dreadnought were the only ones ever built by Spain
and they were smallest Dreadnoughts built by any nation.
The
class's limited displacement necessitated by the constraints imposed by the
weak Spanish economy and existing naval infrastructure, requiring compromises
on armour and speed to incorporate a main battery of eight 12-inch
(305 mm) guns.
Jaime I as she appeared in 1932, note the AA guns on the fore and rear turrets
Layout of the Espana Class gun turrets
Displacement:
Normal 15,700 tons, full load 16,450 tons
Length:
140m
Beam:
24m
Draft:
7.8m
Propulsion:
12 x Yarrow coal-fired boilers, 4 x Parsons steam turbines with 4 shafts
Speed:
19.5 knots
Range:
5,000 nautical miles @ 10 knots
Crew
compliment: 854
Armament:
8 x 12 inch, 20 x 4 inch, 4 x 3-pounders, 2 machine guns
Armour:
belt – 203mm, deck – 38mm, turrets 203mm, conning tower 254mm
Jaime I finally completed her sea trails and entered service with the Spanish Navy on
December 20th 1921. Along with her sister ships she took part in the
Rif War in Morocco, shelling enemy positions in support of ground troops. She
was hit by Riffi shore batteries in 1924, but took part in and supported the amphibious
landings at Alhucemas Bay on 8th September 1925 which eventually led
to the end of the conflict. Some minor
modifications were carried out in 1926, both Jaime I and her sister Alfonso XII
gained a pair of Vickers 76.2mm (3 inch) AA guns, one each on top of turret
numbers 1 and 2. In the 1930s, the foremast was reduced slightly on the two
surviving ships
In
1931 with the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic, Jaime I and her
surviving sister Alfonso XIII (now renamed Espana) were reduced to reserve duty
to save on costs. But in 1933 Jaime returned to the fleet as flagship with major
plans to modernise her, but these were interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil
War!
At the outbreak of the Nationalist revolt,
wireless operators in the navy headquarters Madrid intercepted radio messages
from General Francisco Franco to rebels in Morocco. Madrid immediately sent the
follow telegram to all major vessels, this one to Jaime I (my English
translation).
“Comrades Jaime I: all the true Spanish people are currently
aware of the attitude of our fleet. The time has come to show that traitors
have no place on our ships. I have never doubted your heroism and your loyalty.
Follow the example of the Cruiser Libertad by doing your duty. Long live
freedom, long live the revolution. Traitors die”
The crew mutinied against their rebellious
officers and two officers and an ensign killed along with three “loyal” crewmen,
plus there were at least a dozen more injured on both sides. But due to their
shift action, they ensured the ship would remain under Republican control. Sadly
due to loss and or imprisonment of most of the officer corps the vessel would
be crippled by poor discipline for some time. (the same thing applied to most of the Republican fleet).
Photographs of sailors after the take-over
Once under Republican control Jaime I sailed to
Tangier to take on coal and supplies and take any wounded and injured to the
Spanish hospital there. Just off the coast she was attacked by a rebel Spanish aircraft,
who it is claimed made loyal (raised fist) salutes to deceive the crew into
thinking he was loyal to the Republic before dropping several incendiary bombs
which caused some injuries among the crew.
During the first
months of the war, some modifications were made and her armament enhanced with two Vickers 47 mm (1.9 in) 50-caliber anti-aircraft
guns and a twin 25 mm (0.98 in) Hotchkiss mounting.
She shelled a number of rebel strongholds,
among them Ceuta, Melilla and Algeciras.
On August 7th accompanied by the
Cruiser Libertad, Jaime I entered the bay of Algeciras and bombarded the city
and harbour. She hit Rebel gunboat Eduardo Dato, which was burned down to the waterline (although
she was later repaired and returned to service). She also heavily
damaged two transport vessels in the harbour which had been requisitioned by
the Rebels. The Customs House and warehouses along the port were destroyed, the
railway station, military headquarters, artillery barracks and the power plant
all took hits! Fires and explosions engulfed the town. The naval bombardment was supported and enhanced by Republican aircraft that carried out bombing raids. Unfortunately the Republic did not
take advantage of this successful raid and the Rebels continued using the port
once the ships left.
Jaime I also tried (with little success) to act
as an anti-aircraft barrier to those planes flying rebel troops from Morocco to
the mainland.
On 13 August 1936 she was damaged by a rebel
air attack by two German JU-52 aircraft from the Condor Legion at Malaga; a
single, small bomb struck the ship in the bow and caused minimal damage, though
did result in one crewman killed, two more missing presumed dead and five
wounded! Rebel controlled Seville Radio claimed this air attack to have been a
total success and actually sunk her!
In September
1936 in an attempt to disrupt the blockade imposed by her sister ship Espana on
the northern ports Gijon, Santander and Bilbao, Jaime I sortied forth along
with a pair of cruisers and four destroyers. Neither side seemed too inclined
to engage each other so eventually the Republicans withdrew in October that
year, having achieved nothing!
Then on 21 May 1937, she was attacked again
while in dry-dock at Cartagena for repairs after a recent grounding. Five Savoia-Marchetti SM79 bombers of the Italian Aviazione
Legionaria carried out the attack, reports of the damage inflicted are mixed;
according to Albert Nofi the ship
sustained minor damage but Marco Mattioli wrote the damage was more serious.
But on 17 June, still while at Cartagena, she
was wrecked by an accidental internal explosion and fire which killed over 300
men and injured many others! (Sabotage is/was strongly suspected, but has never
been proved). She was re-floated, but determined to be beyond repair.
Photos of the ship followingthe explosion and fire
She was officially discarded on 3 July 1939 and
eventually broken up in 1941.
In 1940 all the ships guns were recovered, the front and rear twin turrets were used in the Gibralter Strait coastal defence batteries D9 and D10 - El Vigia and Casquebel respectively near the town of Tarifa in th eprovince of Cadiz. Abandoned in 1985, the twin turrets and guns are still in place, but have not been well cared for and look worse for wear. All the ships other main guns and secondary armaments were placed in single mounts in several locations along the coast.
During a recent visit to the Naval museum in Cartagena I found this excellent scale model of an España Class battleship on display
I was a bit puzzeled that the destruction of the Jaime I in Cartagena during the Civil War wasn`t featured among the exhibits, but I`ve found the Civil War is often glossed over in Spanish museums (like the Vichy period is in French ones).
Wargaming with Jaime I
Now I am not a naval wargamer, but it appears to me there are a couple of potential what if scenarios which present themselves.
1. The Republican attack on Algeciras - what if some Rebel cruisers try to intervene? Or the republic tried to land troops to seize Algeciras?
2. The September 1936 sortee - saw a face off between Jaime I and the Espana plus various cruisers, destroyers and other smaller surface vessels. As it happened no sea battle took place, but it may make and interesting tabletop action. I would penalize the Republicans for the lack of trained officers.