Spanish cruiser Isla de Cuba

USS Isla de Cuba

Company type	Protected cruiser / Gunboat
Industry	Naval ship
Founded	February 25, 1886 (1886-02-25) (keel laid)
Founder	Sir W.G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company
Defunct	1940 (scrapped)
Fate	Sold to Venezuela, renamed Mariscal Sucre, scrapped in 1940
Headquarters	Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom
Area served	Spain, United States, Venezuela navies
Products	Warship (Protected cruiser / Gunboat)

USS Isla de Cuba

USS Isla de Cuba was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy that originated as a Spanish vessel captured during the Spanish–American War. Initially christened Isla de Cuba after the Caribbean island under Spanish rule, the ship was commissioned by the Spanish Navy and constructed by the British firm Sir W.G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company, located in Elswick, England. The keel was laid on 25 February 1886, followed by its launch on 11 December of the same year, with completion achieved in 1887.

Before deployment to the Philippines as part of Spain's naval forces, the vessel saw action in the Rif War (1893). During the Battle of Manila Bay, when the United States Navy engaged the Spanish squadron stationed in the Philippines, Isla de Cuba was deliberately sunk by her crew to avoid capture. Nevertheless, American forces later salvaged and raised the cruiser, commissioning her into U.S. service in 1900 under her original name.

Reclassified as a gunboat within the U.S. fleet, she operated primarily on the Asiatic Station, contributing to efforts to quell the Philippine Revolution. After being withdrawn from active duty in 1904, she served as a training vessel. Eventually, in 1912, ownership transferred to Venezuela, where she was renamed Mariscal Sucre. The ship remained in service until she was dismantled and scrapped in 1940.

Construction and Specifications

Built by Sir W.G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company at Elswick, England, Isla de Cuba was ordered in early 1886 with a construction cost of approximately 2.4 million pesetas. The cruiser displaced around 1,038 tons and measured 195 feet in length with a beam of 30 feet and an average draft of 11 feet 4.75 inches. Propulsion was provided by two horizontal triple-expansion steam engines powered by two cylindrical boilers driving twin screws, delivering an indicated horsepower of approximately 535 ihp.

The vessel carried up to 160 short tons of coal as fuel and could reach speeds near 11.2 knots. Her armament included four 4-inch/40 caliber guns, four quick-firing 6-pounder (57 mm) Hotchkiss guns, and three above-water torpedo tubes measuring 14 inches each. Protection consisted of a deck armor thickness varying between one and two-and-a-half inches.

Service History

Originally serving under the Spanish flag, Isla de Cuba took part in colonial conflicts such as the Rif War before assignment to Spain’s Asiatic Squadron based in the Philippines. Following her scuttling during U.S. naval operations at Manila Bay, she was captured and refurbished for American use.

Commissioned into U.S. Navy service on 11 April 1900, she retained her original name and fulfilled roles including patrolling and suppressing insurgent activities during the Philippine Revolution. Decommissioned from frontline service on 9 June 1904, she later operated as a school ship starting in March 1907.

In April 1912, she was sold to Venezuela and renamed Mariscal Sucre in honor of Antonio José de Sucre. The cruiser remained part of the Venezuelan fleet until her scrapping in 1940.

Characteristics

In January 1886, Spain commissioned two small protected cruisers, the Isla de Luzón and Isla de Cuba, from the British shipbuilder Armstrongs, to be constructed at their Elswick, Tyne and Wear facility. The vessel had a standard displacement of approximately 1,038 tonnes (1,022 long tons), increasing to 1,053 t (1,036 long tons) during sea trials. Its length between perpendiculars was 184 feet 10 inches (56.34 m), with an overall length of 197 ft (60 m). The beam measured 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m), and the draft was 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m). Propulsion was provided by two cylindrical boilers supplying steam to a pair of horizontal triple expansion engines manufactured by R & W Hawthorn Leslie. At natural draft, these engines were designed to deliver 1,700 indicated horsepower (1,300 kW), enabling a top speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), while forced draft increased output to 2,200 ihp (1,600 kW) and speed to 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Yet on trials, Isla de Cuba produced 1,897 ihp (1,415 kW) at natural draft, maintaining a speed of 14.03 knots (25.98 km/h; 16.15 mph) over six hours, and achieved 2,627 ihp (1,959 kW) at forced draft, reaching 15.92 knots (29.48 km/h; 18.32 mph) over the measured mile. The coal bunkers held up to 160 t (160 long tons; 180 short tons).

The vessel’s primary armament consisted of six 12 centimetres (4.7 in) guns, supplemented by four 6-pounder (57 mm) secondary guns and three torpedo tubes of 14 inches (360 mm) diameter. Its protective deck armor ranged from 2+1⁄2–1 inches in thickness, while the conning tower was shielded by armor measuring 2 inches (51 mm). Constructed with a steel hull and featuring a single funnel, the ship's relatively broad beam for its length resulted in suboptimal seakeeping; it tended to plunge its bow into oncoming waves. The crew complement numbered 164 personnel.

Spanish Navy

Isla de Cuba’s keel was laid on 25 February 1886 at Sir W.G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company's shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. She was launched on 11 December 1886 and finished construction by 22 September 1887. After commissioning, she joined Spain's Metropolitan Fleet. During the Rif War from 1893 to 1894, she took part in bombardments targeting reefs between Melilla and Chafarinos. In response to the Philippine uprising, Isla de Cuba was dispatched there in 1897 to reinforce Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo de Pasaron’s squadron.

At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, she remained with Montojo’s squadron anchored in Cañacao Bay, sheltered by the Cavite Peninsula east of Sangley Point, Luzon, approximately 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Manila. On the morning of 1 May 1898, Commodore George Dewey’s United States Navy Asiatic Squadron located Montojo’s position and launched an attack that initiated the pivotal Battle of Manila Bay.

The remains of Isla de Cuba.

During the engagement, Dewey's fleet conducted multiple firing runs causing significant damage to Spanish vessels. Initially, American fire targeted Montojo’s flagship, the unprotected cruiser Reina Cristina, along with unprotected cruiser Castilla, leaving Isla de Cuba relatively unscathed. After Reina Cristina was disabled, both Isla de Cuba and her sister ship Isla de Luzón maneuvered alongside to assist under heavy enemy fire. Admiral Montojo then transferred his flag to Isla de Cuba. Following severe damage sustained by the squadron, Isla de Cuba was deliberately scuttled in shallow waters to prevent capture; her superstructure remained above water level. Subsequently, a boarding party from gunboat USS Petrel set fire to her.

Following U.S. forces' occupation of the Philippines, the United States Navy salvaged and repaired Isla de Cuba. The ship was refloated and restored after damage repairs. Her original Spanish-made 4.7 inches (120 mm) guns were removed and replaced with American-manufactured (4-inch) guns.

United States Navy

Commissioned on 11 April 1900 in Hong Kong, China, Isla de Cuba entered service with the United States Navy. Following repairs, the vessel was reclassified as a gunboat and assigned to the Asiatic Station. During the Philippine Revolution, which followed the Spanish–American War, Isla de Cuba operated as both a supply vessel and patrol craft. Between March and April 1900, it was integrated into the Southern Squadron. In efforts to blockade Samar, the ship played a significant role in cutting off supplies to Filipino insurgents and contributed to the apprehension of Vicente Lukbán, the insurgent commander on Samar. On 17 November 1900, Isla de Cuba deployed a battalion at Ormoc, Leyte, to secure the town after its garrison was redeployed against insurgent forces. This battalion remained stationed there until 8 December. The following year, in 1901, the vessel served as a survey ship conducting hydrographic surveys of Ormoc anchorage and Parasan Harbor.

Departing from Cebu on 4 March 1904, Isla de Cuba concluded its service on the Asiatic Station and returned to the United States. The ship was decommissioned on 9 June at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. After undergoing repairs completed on 21 March 1907 at Portsmouth, it was subsequently loaned to the Maryland Naval Militia for use as a school ship.

Venezuela Navy

On 2 April 1912, Isla de Cuba was sold in Charleston, South Carolina, to the Republic of Venezuela. Renamed Mariscal Sucre in honor of Marshall Antonio José de Sucre, the vessel remained active within the Venezuelan Navy until it was dismantled in 1940.

Further reading

• Alden, John D. The American Steel Navy: A Photographic History of the U.S. Navy from the Introduction of the Steel Hull in 1883 to the Cruise of the Great White Fleet, 1907–1909. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1972.

External links

• Commons category for Isla de Cuba (ship, 1887)
• NavSource Online: Photo Archive for USS Isla de Cuba (ID 09924)
• Archived page from the Department of the Navy's Naval Historical Center featuring selected images of Spanish Navy vessels, including the cruiser Isla de Cuba (1886–1898)