Battle of Cape Palos

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A 1930s photograph of the Nationalist cruiser Almirante Cervera, which escaped from Cape Palos without major harm.

Date	March 5 - 6, 1938
Location	near Cartagena, Spain, Mediterranean Sea
Result	Republican victory

Combatants

Second Spanish Republic

Nationalist Spain

Commanders

Luis González Ubieta

Manuel de Vierna †

Strength

2 light cruisers
5 destroyers

2 heavy cruisers
1 light cruiser

Casualties

None

1 heavy cruiser sunk
393 dead

Spanish Civil War
Alcázar – Gijón – Mérida – Mallorca – Badajoz – Sierra Guadalupe – Monte Pelato – Talavera – Cape Espartel – Madrid – Corunna Road – Málaga – Jarama – Guadalajara – Guernica – Brunete – Santander – Belchite – El Mazuco – Cape Cherchell – Teruel – Cape Palos – Ebro Chronology: 1936 1937 1938-9

The Battle of Cape Palos, also known as the Second Battle of Cape Palos, was the biggest naval battle of the Spanish Civil War, fought on the night of March 5 - 6 1938, 70 miles east of Cape Palos near Cartagena, Spain.

During the Civil War, about half of the Spanish Navy had been seized by the Republican government and the other half by Franco's Nationalists. Government forces had more destroyers, but Franco had seized both newest heavy cruisers Canarias and Baleares, armed with eight 203 mm (8 in) guns each. The two navies had skirmished throughout the war without major losses.

On March 5, 1938, both Nationalist heavy cruisers sailed off from Palma de Mallorca naval base with a light cruiser, Almirante Cervera, and three destroyers. The squadron acted as a distant cover of a ship convoy bearing war equipment from Italy. On the same day, Republican forces, consisting of two light cruisers (Libertad, a modern vessel, and the older Méndez Núñez) and five destroyers, sailed from Cartagena. At night, Nationalist destroyers returned to base, while the cruisers remained on course.

The squadrons, going in opposite directions, met by chance in the dead of night. A Republican destroyer fired torpedoes but missed, and both fleets passed by the other. Nationalist Rear Admiral de Vierna preferred to wait until dawn, which would enable him to use his ships' superior artillery, but Republican Vice Admiral de Ubieto decided to turn and pursue the enemy.

The fleets met again at about 2:15. Nationalist cruisers opened fire on Libertad from a range of about 5 kilometers, and Republican cruisers returned fire. However, due to lack of experience in night combat, neither artillery barrage proved effective. As the cruisers duelled, a line of three Republican destroyers, probably unnoticed by the Nationalists, approached the battle. At about 3 kilometers from their targets, destroyers Sanchéz Barcáiztegui, Lepanto and Almirante Antequera fired 12 torpedoes. Two or three torpedoes, probably from Lepanto, scored devastating hits on Baleares. The two survivng Nationalist cruisers quickly sailed out, leaving Baleares to its fate. It sunk within a few minutes. Of its 765 crewmen, only 372 were saved, mostly by British ships. Admiral de Vierna was among the dead, reportedly shouting "¡Viva la muerte!" as he went down with his ship.

Although the action at Cape Palos was the largest naval battle of the Spanish Civil War and a decisive Republican victory, naval combats had little effect on the ground war beyond affecting supplies. The Battle of the Ebro ended disastrously for the Republicans later that year.