Spain began the twentieth century with barely a handful of ships capable even of defending her own coastline and possessions By the start of the Great War in 1914, she was beginning to reconstruct a fleet which was to have the primary functions of defending her coast and islands,of protecting her trade, and of commerce raiding .The Kingdom was dreadfully hampered by its poor finances, and ships when completed and commissioned were frequently out-of-date compared to other European states - and potential enemies!

Spain did however complete a small class of three coastal dreadnought battleships, "Espana", "Alfonso ", and "Jaime Primero", together with eight or so cruisers of sound modern design, with the help of British yards, Vickers, and John Brown in particular. There were also a dozen submarines,and around twenty destroyers,and the fleet was filled out by surviving pre-WWI gunboats and torpedo boats and auxiliaries. In 1922 she had purchased half a dozen "Castle"and "Mersey" class Naval trawlers from the Royal Navy, and four similar vessels from the French fleet.These were to see a great deal of service in times to come. Spain's economy had not recovered from the depression of the 1930's before the Civil War began, and so several of what should have been her finest ships were still under construction or laid up in her yards.Accidents too had thinned her battle line. One of the 15,000 ton dreadnoughts ran aground in fog in 1923, and was a total constructive loss, though her guns were saved. The cruiser "Blas De Lezo" met a similar fate in 1932. So, when the Pronunciamento heralded the outbreak of War, only one battleship was seaworthy,and the fleet was poorly prepared.

On 17th July 1936,the major part of the navy was controlled by the Republic,though the majority of officers supported the Nationalist cause.There were numerous incidents, the wholesale despatch of officers on some warships,and not surprisingly command and control duties often fell to less experienced , lower-deck crew,and the absence of sufficient gunnery, navigation and engineering specialists in particular hampered Republican operations.

More seriously, Vigo and the major naval construction yard at El Ferrol soon fell into Nationalist hands, and with the latter, the laid up battleship "Espana': and what were to prove the best units in Spanish waters the big cruisers 'Canarias', 'Baleares' , and the smaller but equally fast 'Almirante Cervera'. Ineffectual command and indecisiveness led to the failure of the Republic's fleet to effectively blockade the Straits of Gibraltar, and in the Autumn of 1936, two of the cruisers acquired by Franco's forces at El Ferrol, cleared the seas between Spain and Africa, by sinking one of the two Republican picquet destroyers 'Almirante Juan Ferrandiz' and damaging her sister 'Gravina'. The sea route for the Army of Africa was clear, and to this day, many naval historians regard the Battle of the Straits as the only real surface action of the Civil War. It was not a spectacular one.

Neither of the two dreadnought battleships, "Espana" in Nationalist hands, nor "Jaime Primero" of the Republican fleet, lasted long, after the outbreak of war. Franco's El Ferrol acquisition was lost in April 1937, when in company with the small destroyer 'Velasco she struck a mine while in pursuit of a British blockade-runner. 'Jaime Primero', in Mediterranean waters, was at Cartagena when war broke out, and her officers were killed in a short battle for control. Thereafter, the ship was involved in harassing German aircraft transporting troops from Morocco, hardly work for battleship; and in a duel with Ju52 bombers, was seriously damaged by at least two hits. She suffered an internal explosion whilst laid up at Cartagena and was broken up at the end of the War.

The only other naval encounter of note took place off Cabo de Palos, north-east of Cartagena in March 1938, when Nationalist and Republican units encountered each other at night, apparently without warning or intent. Three Republican destroyers, 'Lepanto' , 'Sanchez Barcaiztegui,' and 'Almirante Antiquerra' torpedoed the Cruiser "Baleares': sinking her with heavy loss of life.

This was largely a war of protecting sea routes, of convoying supply ships from Italy,Germany ,the USSR and Mexico in particular;and at least in the early stages of the war, as far as the Republic and her Basque allies were concerned, to keep the Nationalist blockade at bay, and enable British and other merchantmen the opportunity to bring relief and other supplies into port at Bilbao.There were frequent naval actions and encounters, of course.The best known being that of March 1937, a one-sided battle in Vizcayan waters between the Nationalist cruiser 'Canarias ' and three Basque armed trawlers; the cruiser made hard work of sinking one and capturing a second.

In a similar, but less well remembered action in late 1936, two ex-Royal Naval trawlers of the Republican navy were destroyed by 'Almirante Cervera' in a much shorter fight. For the first time in naval history fleets suffered significant losses from air attack, not merely the Republic's only battleship was put out of action, several of the "B" and "C" Holland" type submarines, and a number of other destroyers, gunboats and auxiliaries were lost to Franco's air power.

Republican air attacks on Ibiza in particular and the May 1937 bombing of the German cruiser "Deutschland" brought the war to a new level of naval activity. German warships and those of the Royal Italian Navy, frequently entered Spanish territorial waters in support of Nationalist action.The close support of "Graf Spee" during the Nationalist cruiser bombardment of Malaga is often quoted. Units of the Royal Navy did much the same thing in the Bay of Biscay where British merchantmen heading for Bilbao were concerned. In retaliation for the bombing of "Deutschland" however, the Kriegsmarine undertook to bombard the Republican town of Almeira. At this stage the proposition by the Republican Cabinet Minister Prieto y Tuero, that the Republic's air force deliberately bomb the German Mediterranean Squadron was considered, and over-ruled by Comintern demand!

Submarine attacks were also fairly frequent events.On June 18th 1937,the German 'Leipzig', a light cruiser reported two separate torpedo attacks,which caused a repeat of the "Deutschland" uproar, and as early November 1936,the Republican cruiser "Miguel de Cervantes" was damaged in a torpedo attack by an Italian submarine,which was not identified. At sea, as so often on land, this was a war of missed opportunities, of failure to pursue the enemy and bring him to battle. A war which degenerated into indecisive skirmishes at sea, aimed all too often at protecting the materiel needed to continue the grinding brutal war on the mainland.Even the hovering fleets of the Naval Patrol Powers could do nothing to bring about a Spanish "Jutland" or "Lissa", and if nothing else, the German Kriegsmarine certainly tried to force a conclusion at sea.

In most histories of the war, much is made of the enormous quantity of military materiel which was supplied to both sides by third parties,and of the tremendous use which was made of tanks,artillery and aircraft. However, warshis are rather more expensive commodities than field guns,and take considerably longer to build than tanks.

Very few foreign-built naval vessels entered the service of either the Nationalists or the Republic during the course of the war. Italy of course provided a number of vessels, amongst them four "Esplorati", or 'Scouts', which were all elderly by any standards.The first two transferred were sisters ,'Aquila': and "Falco ': both of which had been laid down in 1914 for service in the Romanian Navy,and requisitioned for the Italian Fleet while still on the stocks in 1915.They were rather odd vessels in Italian service, the first of the two carried 3 rather inadequate 6" guns,while "Falco" carried four 4.7" guns, as she was not completed until 1920.They were renamed "Mellila" and "Ceuta" when handed over in late 1937. The following Spring two even older (and slower!) scout destroyers, again sisters, "Alessandro Poerio "and "Gugliemo Pepe", pre- WWI ships carrying six old pattern 4" guns,came into Spanish Nationalist service as "Huesca" and "Teruel" respectively.Their value was undoubtedly limited even in the sort of war being fought off the Spanish coasts,and in naval terms they can only be described as veteran "hand-me -downs" .

The Italian provision, secretly, of two modern, powerfully armed, sea-going submarines in early 1937 was a far better gift.In the 1930's, Italy was re-arming,and over the years prior to the outbreak of war in Spain, had disposed of some twenty coastal, sea-, and ocean-going submarine boats. Even during the course of that war, she discarded at least two more.So, the gift of two new and advanced boats of the "Archimede" class, "Evangelista Torricelli", and "Archimede" herself, both less than three years on the List, was of immense value. These two sea-goingboats, fast and well armed for surface commerce raiding ,and with 16 of the sound "Silurificio" torpedoes in eight tubes, added much to the Nationalist strength at sea. In Spanish service the two boats were known as "General Sanjurjo " (Archimede), and "General Mola".Italy laid down replacement boats for these two (with identical names) in December of 1937 and in complete secrecy, at the Tosi Naval Yard. For a short period in 1937,two Italian sea-going boats, "lride " and "Onice ",both of the "Perla" class, launched only in the Summer of 1936, were 'transferred' to Nationalist service as "Gonzalez Lopez" and "Aguilar Tabarda" Officers and crews remained Italian, and the boats seem to have been used for specific and unspecified purposes. Although the Kriegsmarine appears to have used U-Boats in and around Spanish waters during the period of the War, none were transferred,or used by the Nationalists directly.

Apart from these vessels ,a number of small, fast coastal craft of Italian, German and Soviet origin were used by the combatant navies. Spain's only coastal attack forces of any use at the start of the war were six British built CMB's (Coastal Motor Boats), dating from the early 20's Stalin sold four of the 45 knot "G5" motor torpedo boats to the Republic in early 1937;they were well armed with two 21" torpedoes and 2 mg's.They were re-numbered as "DAR 1,2, 3, and 4 ( The last two being destroyed by Nationalist air attacks). These were most useful weapons in Republican hands,and had larger numbers been available they could have had a powerful effect on the outcome of the War at Sea.

The Royal Italian Navy provided France with two 40 knot torpedo boats." MAS435' : and 'MAS437" according to most sources, though AldoFraccaroli in the definitive work on the Italian Navy in WWII, lists "MAS437" in Italian and later,German hands during WWII. He omits numbers "435': and"436" from the navy lists,suggesting that these were the boats transferred without entering Italian service. Whatever her number,' 6 ' or ' 7 ',the latter boat seems to have carried the name "Javier Quirogo" in her brief service. She was lost in May 1937.

These two were fine seaworthy little vessels armed with two 17.7" torpedoes, 5 depth charges and two light mg's.The type proved its worth in countless Mediterranean battles during WWII. Along with these two boats were transferred two older "MAS" boats.Numbers "100" and "223". Both were WWI veterans,slower being capable of best sea speeds of only 24 knots or thereabouts. Both carried two 17.7" torpedoes, two light mg's and 4 depth charges.They had been discarded hem the list in March of 1937,and were in France's fleet a month later. Number "100" was briefly "Napoles",and "223': "Sicilia" under Spanish colours; later they were numbered "LT17" and "LT18" .

German transfers were small in comparison to those of Italy. An obvious reason being the fact that in 1918,Italy had been a victorious nation in WWI,and had a very large fleet with many acquisitions from defeated states.German naval re-armament, on the other hand,was still incomplete by far. The Kriegsmarine therefore sold only four of her "Schnellboote"to France in 1936/37.These were "S2 ", "S3", "S4", and "S5 ". "LT's 11, 12, 14 and 15 " respectively, in Spanish hands. They also seem to have born the respective names "Falange", "Oviedo" , "Requite" and "Toledo" at an early stage. "Falange " - 'LT11 ': was the only war loss;some sources indicate that in 1938, the first German S-Boote, "S1" was also purchased by Nationalist Spain, possibly as a replacement for "Falange ". These early-numbered "S-Boote's" were the slowest of the enormous numbers of such vessels built in German yards in the 1930's,all were in service with the German Navy by 1932 ,and slower by a knot or two than later sister ships, at 33kts top speed. Armament as might be expected was excellent.Each boat carried two 500mm torpedoes, and a single 20mm gun forward. Other light mg's being added amidships and aft, in Spanish service .German boats were much larger and carried bigger crews (18 per boat) than those of the Italian( 8 crew) and Soviet ( 6 or 7) vessels.At the war's end,the victor's built a number of the "S-Boote" type at Cadiz, and made six further purchases from the Kriegsmarine.

For the wargamer who wishes to recreate the Spanish Civil war at sea, there are several options, and several scales to choose from.

In 1/3000 scale, Navwar and Skytrex lists include not only the capital ships of the Republican and Nationalist navies,but examples of ships of other navies which were very similar (or virtually identical) to Spanish vessels. So, from British models in these lists,the 3 "Alfonso" class cruisers are similar to the "E" Class cruisers of the Royal Navy ; and the two "Canarias" cruisers can be modelled from the British "Rent" type, with little difficulty apart from slight funnel alterations.The destroyer "workhorses" of both fleets in the Spanish Civil War,cthe "Churruca" class, 6 strong at the outset, are identical copies of the British "Scott" class destroyer Leaders on the WWI list.The Holland type submarines are also easy to provide.Indeed, 1/3000 scale gives many other vessels found in Spanish waters, ample numbers of merchantmen, the Ships of the Naval Patrol Powers, and similar vessels to the Italian "Esploratori" transfers. Skytrex and Navwar also produce rules for this scale.

One thing which such a small scale cannot do, is provide suitable models and a good scale for small coastal attack craft,such as those vessels transferred to Spain, and the many trawlers and tugs used as auxiliaries on both sides.

In 1/1200 scale,this is possible, and many of the smaller vessels, the 'Churruca's", Italian "Esploratori",'S', 'MAS' , and 'G5' boats,and the ex- Royal Navy trawlers ,together with a number of merchantmen and of course the Naval Patrol Powers heavyweights,can be found in the lists of Clydeside Models, and of Fleetline and indeed the small Airfix plastic range.Clydeside lists tend to be moveable feast s, however,and the strong Italian presence in their lists tends to fluctuate in availability; though for small craft, including auxiliary vessels its the best there is.The battleships of the "Espana" class, as far as I am aware are only available from one or two of the very expensive German specialist companies, Hai, Mercator,etc, who make precision scale collectors models, rather than wargames items. A pity, but the same thing applies in this scale to the cruisers. The only model of "Balaeres" I've ever seen in 1/1200 scale was on the market at £ 15 or so, ten years back.

Given the nature of the war at sea,with very few major warships in action against each other,and with the bulk of the work thrown back on light units,the best scale for a wargame of the Spanish War at Sea is 1/600 or 1/700 scale.ln the Triton, 1/600 "Coastal Forces" range,designed for WW2 in a multitude of theatres,there are a number of suitable ships for the Republican and Nationalist fleets. The "FAST ATTACK" rules for this scale, also published by Triton and available fiom Skytrex, are probably the best around,and portray Spanish naval conflict as well as any other. In this range can be found CF30l, an early version "S Boote", suitable for use as "Falange" and her sisters , and CF450, the Soviet "G5" motor boat (two in a pack). CF40l, is MS11, which nicely represents the Italian 'MAS' boats used by Franco.

From the same range comes CF32, the trawler "HMS Lancelot': which if the funnel is reduced in height by 3mm and the topside 'kit' extensively removed,will represent the purchased "Castle" class vessels,which were used by the Basques Republicans,and the Nationalists ! In the range,CF3l0,and CF322 are two WWII German 'impressed' trawlers,and these can be easily converted to become armed auxiliaries to serve off Cartagena or Cadiz. For merchant vessels, blockade- runners,etc,CF901 ,and CF902, are a German and a British Merchantman both suitable for the run in to Bilbao, or to supply the base at Ibiza.

Suitable plastic reinforcements come from the "Skywave" kits, and Fujimi and Hasegawa also make packs of harbour accessories which include several small "auxiliary" vessels which can serve well in Spain,and a handful of tugs, which were used as armed escorts and patrol boats. The "Matchbox", and previously mentioned ranges (which are actually 1/700 scale, but most compatible) include the vessels needed, if at all, for the Naval Patrol Powers presence; be it German cruiser or HMS Hood and there are a few variations on merchantmen in these ranges too. It's not possible,as yet,to find Italian submarines in this scale,and aircraft are also few and far between,though Skywave do make a Ju52, and Triton a flying boat.

As far as suitable actions are concerned,escorting a blockade runner into Bilbao,or intercepting a Minelayer,or ambushing a returning flotilla of raiders all make for realistic games. Since I have a small early "U-Boat" I tried a game in which this vessel "U-29" was being used to land a small party of Nationalist saboteurs on the Mediterranean coast,eagerly awaited by a couple of Soviet "G5's" and a trawler.The U boat's escort of 'Javier Quirogo" blundered into one of the "G5's" and in a splendid midnight firefight lit by a full moon, the U boat only just managed to escape after having to fight the trawler with her 20mm gun, the Mas boat and one of the "G5's" both sank with heavy loss.In another game,to "beefup" the Republican's small flotilla of tugs,I mounted a 75mm field gun aboard one of them,covered it with a tarpaulin (very "Q-Ship"!) and allowed the enemy S-Boote "Oviedo " to close with her 20mm and mg's blazing, before blowing her bows off. Well,what torpedo boat commander would waste an expensive torpedo on a tub of a tug?

Believe me,the naval war is well worth the effort of painting a few small vessels,each of which turns out even in metal and in the largest of the scales I've described, to cost less than a 20mm T-26,or a plastic aircraft kit of a "Rata".As far as painting these models is concerned,the Spanish Navy pre-war used a very light grey,with black waterline,and weather and bridge decks were planked or were painted dark grey.The trawlers and auxiliaries will have been less uniformly painted,a coat of grey paint of a light(-ish!) shade and planked decks,etc.Guns a darker grey,dry-brushed with Humbrol steel,to make the weapons stand out.The foreign built vessels would arrive in their own national paint schemes,a pale grey for Italian vessels, again with a black waterline,deck fittings,etc.larger Italian vessels including the four elderly "Esploratori" all had darker grey decks (Humbrol 27).The USSR's little contribution would have arrived,and probably stayed, in the medium sea grey (Humbrol 27) sported by Stalin's ships in the 1930's,the Red Navy boats of the "G" classes sometimes carried cyrillic numbers on the side in white or yellow, ie 167 or 33. It must be remembered that at the time of the War in Spain camouflage was rarely used by warships.

German "S-Boote's" were again a light sea-grey in colour,and in the Mediterranean this 'weathered' almost to an off white very quickly.Where and when I use a submarine in my games,I tend to use her either dull matt black,with plenty of rust streaks,or very dark grey. Painting merchantmen is of course a matter of taste or of formal house flag colours. One point is important.in a war where, or the first tine, air attack on ships was frequent identification of friendly (and enemy!) vessels became important ; an added complication being the fact that ships of the same class served on opposing sides.The Naval Patrol Power vessels sported national colours on turrets and decks,and it seems likely that Nationalist coastal vessels may have been forced to carry a black St.Andrew's cross on a white background for easy identification by their own aircraft (as tanks so often did) in addition to flags and ensigns.The Italians actually painted the foredecks of warships in white and cherry red diagonal stripes at the outset of the Second World War,but probably not before April 1939.At sea as on land in the Spanish Civil War, confusion, accidents and mistakes were common place events. It all makes for an interesting naval game .

**Editors note - SDD models also do several 1/600th models that may be of use - S boats, MAS's, steam coasters, merchant ships, coastal motor boats ( 40ft & 55ft versions ). They also make useful accesories such as depth charge explosions & running torpedo's. SDD are at 16 Denzil Ave, Netley Abbey , Southampton, SO31 5BA

SCW Naval Wargaming