Spanish Battlecruiser Projects Spanish Battlecruiser Projects 
Spain built 3 very small dreadnoughts, basically coast defense vessels, under the Maura-Ferrandiz Naval Law of 1908. A 1914 program projected three larger battleships, of about 21,000 tons, to be built with a heavy reliance on British technical assistance. WWI put an end to these plans, but capital ships were again considered in 1921 as part of the Third Spanish Naval Programme. Two preliminary battleship designs were drawn up by Vickers, along with two huge battlecruisers designs. Designated Designs 788A and 788B, no sketches or plans exist for these vessels. They exist only in the notebooks of Sir George Thurston, the chief naval architect for Vickers for nearly 25 years. They would have been built in Spanish yards, using British plans, guns, and armor. Design 788A would have exceeded even the HMS Hood in size, protection, speed, and firepower.
Building plans were put on hold while Spain
attended the Rome Conference, which sought
to limit naval arms in the Mediterranean
basin. The conference ended with no agreement
between Spain, France, Britain and Italy,
but financial problem led to the postponement
of naval expansion plans until 1926. That
year's naval law included only appropriations
for three heavy cruisers, one of which was
latter cancelled.
After the Spanish Civil War, interest again
focused on capital ships. A 1939 plan would
have built four slightly modified battleships
of the Italian Vittorio Veneto Class in Spanish
yards. A Super-Heavy Cruiser was designed
also, being of 17,500 tons with 36 knot speed
and 12 x 8" guns. An "armored cruiser"
design was also included, which resembled
a very fast version of the German Deutschland
Class. With a displacement of 19,000 tons,
a speed of 34 knots, carrying 6 x 12"/
50 in three twin turrets and a 12 gun DP
secondary, these ships can be considered
to be battlecruisers. All three projects
were abandoned once Italy and Germany became
embroiled in WWII, as Spain did not have
the financial, industrial, or technical resources
to complete these projects alone.
In 1942, the armored cruiser design was dusted
off and modified. The resulting vessel would
have carried two triple turrets armed with
the German 11.1" gun. This design would
appear to have been an attempt at a vessel
that could be realistically built in the
immediate future, by accelerating the project
with "off the shelf" components.
Not only were the triple turrets already
designed, and an existing stock of gun barrels
available, but it appears likely that the
Spanish tried to acquire two existing turrets.
The German battlecruiser Gniesenau was wrecked
by British bombers shortly before this design
was drawn up. Gniesenau's forward turret
was destroyed, but the remaining two were
in perfect working order. They were removed
from the vessel in anticipation of fitting
twin 15" mounts in their place, and
were eventually installed as shore defense
batteries. The acquisition of these turrets
by the Spanish would have greatly accelerated
the construction of the first vessel, and
provided a template for the construction
of others in the class.
In the end, financial hardship put an end
to all naval expansion by Spain.
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