On paper, the Nationalist position at sea appeared completely hopeless. The table below lists the ships of the Spanish Fleet operable as of July 1936 and the owning side after the rebellion:

Type	Insurgent	Loyal
BBs	1	1
CAs	1	3
DDs	1	11
Gunboats	4	1
Torpedoboats	6	7
Submarines	0	12

But the situation was in fact completely different. The Insurgents had as an ally, albeit a secret one, the powerful Italian fleet. As early as September 1936, Italian submarines were operating against Loyalist shipping. In November 1936 an Italian submarine (the Torricelli) torpedoed one of the Loyalists' three cruisers, damaging it so severely that the ship was out of service until July 1938. In all 57 Italian submarines operated off Republican Spain, many of them making numerous war patrols. Italian warships bombarded the Loyalist ports at night, masquerading as Insurgents. On occasion, Italian surface warships attacked Loyalist shipping in daylight; four merchant ships were sunk by Italian destroyers in these brazen attacks. All this took place during the same period when Italy was participating in "neutrality patrols" off Spain and officially proclaiming its peaceful intentions.

Apart from actual intervention on behalf of the Nationalists, the Italian Navy also provided significant material aid of all types: ship guns, ammunition, navigational equipment, naval stores, and even warships. Four destroyers, two submarines, and four motor torpedoboats were transferred to Spain. Four submarines and four other ships were loaned to Spain, these operated with mixed crews serving to some extent as training units for the expanding Nationalist fleet.

German assistance at sea was much less significant. Five motor torpedoboats were transferred, the communications system was replaced with new German equipment, and other naval supplies were made available. But apart from some well-publicized, daylight bombardments of Loyalist ports in retaliation for air attacks on German "neutrality patrol" ships and a few sneak attacks on Republican merchant ships, the Germans were content to let their ally do the dirty work.

Insurgent naval losses were light, which is perhaps not surprising, given its opponents' problems and Italy's involvement. At that, two of Franco's three large warships were sunk in the war:

Warship Losses:

• Battleship Espana struck a mine off Santander, April 1937.
• Heavy Cruiser Baleares was torpedoed by Republican destroyers in Mediterranean, March 1938
• Torpedoboat #2 was grounded after damage in action with armed trawlers in Biscay, September '37
• MT13 Falange had an accidental explosion in Malaga, June 1937
• MT13 Javier Quiroga had collision in Mediterranean, May 1937.

Characteristics of warships added to the Nationalist fleet during the civil war were:

Heavy Cruisers:

Ship entered service
Canarias September 1936
Baleares December 1936

10,113 tons; dimensions 635' x 64' x17.3'; 33 knots; armament (as completed), Canarias - 8/203mm, 4/102mm, 4/100mm AA, 2/57mm AA, 4/40mm AA, 4/37mm AA, 12 TT; Baleares-6/203mm, 8/100mm AA, 10/40mm AA, 12 TT

Based on the British "County" class heavy cruisers, these fine ships had to be completed with modifieci armament, the 37mm AA guns being German supplied, the 100mm AA Italian. Final work on the Canarias ' including the fitting of secondary armament, was done in Italy. Baleares was completed without its fourth main armament turret, which was finally fitted in June 1937. Canarias was later equipped with her intended secondary armament of 8/120mm AA.

Light Cruiser:

Navarra (ex Republica) July 1938

41857 tons; dimensions 462' x 49.6' x 15.7'; 25.5 knots; armament 9/ 152 mm, 4/88mm AA, 4/20mm AA

The old cruiser Republica was laid up, awaiting disposal at the time of the revolt. She was entirely rebuilt, using engines of Italian origin and a mixed armament of Spanish, German, and Italian guns.

Destroyers:

Melilla (ex Aquila) October 1937
Ceuta (ex Falco) October 1937

1,594 tons, dimensions 309.5' x 11.1' x 11.9'; 29 knots; armament 4/120mm, 2/76mm AA, 4/20mm AA, 4 TT, 50 mines

These were Italian destroyers (equivalent to U.S. "four-pipers") transferred in late 1937.

Huesca (ex Peorio) November 1937
Teruel (ex Guglielmo Pepe) November 1937

1,028 tons, dimensions 272.6' x 26.25' x 9.25'; 26 knots; armament 4/102mm, 2/20mm AA, 2/13mm AA, 4 TT

These were old Italian destroyers completed in 1915.

Ciscar February 1939

1,590 tons, dimensions 333' x 31.75' x 10.5' 36 knots; armament 5/120mm, 1/88 mm AA, 4/20mm AA, 6 TT

The Ciscar was a "Churruca" class destroyer of the Republican Navy, sunk in the harbor of El Musel by Nationalist aircraft in July 1937, salvaged in March 1938.

Escorts:

Jupiter January 1937
Vulcano September 1937
Marte September 1938
Neptuno April 1939

2,100 tons, dimensions 320' x 41.5' x 11.5'; 18.5 knots; armament 4/120 mm, 2/75mm AA (88mm in Vulcano), 4/20mm AA, 264 mines

The above were dual-purpose Escort / Minelayers.

Calvo Sotelo (ex Zacatecas) June 1938

1,600 tons, dimensions 303' x 40' x 10'; 20 knots; armament 4/ 102mm, 2 f75mm AA, 3/20mm AA

This was a gunboat under construction for Mexico at the time of the revolt, finished to a modified plan.

Submarines:

General Sanjurjo (ex Archimede) April 1937
General Mola (ex Torricelli) April 1937
Mola // (ex Galilei) October 1937 through January 1938
Sanjurjo // (ex Ferraris) October 1937 through January 1938

970/1,239 tons; dimensions 231.3' x 22.5' x 13.5'; 17/8 knots; armament 2/100mm, 2/13.2mm AA, 8 TT

These were Italian fleet submarines, the second pair loaned for four months and serving under unusual names.

Gonzalez Lopez (ex Iride) August 1937 thru January 1938
Aguilar Tablada ( ex Onice) August 1937 thru January 1938

680/844 tons; dimensions 197.5 . x 21/1' x 15.5'; 14/7.5 knots; armament 1/100mm, 2/13.2mm AA, 6 TT

The above two were smaller Italian submarines of the "Perla" class, loaned for six months.

Motor Torpedoboats:

Falange (ex S-2) January 1937
Requete (ex S-3) January 1937
Oviedo (ex S-4) January 1937
Badajoz (ex S-5) January 1937
Toledo (ex S-1) April 1939
55 tons, dimensions 91.6' x 13.7 x 3.5'; 32 knots; armament 1/20mm AA, 2 torpedos

These were German "Schnellboote" built 1930-1932.

Candido Perez (ex MAS 435) February 1937
Javier Quiroga (ex MAS 437) February 1937

15.5 tons, dimensions 52.5' x 12.9' x 4', 35 knots; armament 2/6.5mm MG, 2 torpedos

Italian MAS boats built in 1933.

Napoles (ex MAS 223) December 1937
Sicilia (ex MAS 100) December 1937

12 tons; dimensions 53' x 9.5' x 4.5'; 26 knots; armament 2/6.5mm MG, 2 torpedos

Old Italian MTBs, built in 1918, of limited use.

Franco's Armed Forces Spanish Civil War

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