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. History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Muslim Conquest of Iberia Timeline of Muslim Occupation Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Flag of the Second Spanish Republic The Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939) was the second period in Spanish history in which the election of both the positions of Head of State and Head of government were in the hands of the people. ... The Spanish State (Estado Español) was the formal name of Spain from 1936 to 1978, under the régime of Generalísimo Francisco Franco (d. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Muslim Conquest of Iberia Timeline of Muslim Occupation Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History... The Guadalajara Offensive (8 March – 23 March 1937) was an engagement in the Spanish Civil War. ... Picassos Guernica Guernica after the bombing. ... Battle of El Mazuco Conflict Spanish Civil War Date 1937 Place El Mazuco, near Llanes Result Nationalist victory; leading to the fall of Asturias The Battle of El Mazuco was fought in September 1937, between the Republican (government) and Nationalist (rebel) armies of the Spanish Civil War. ... The Battle of the Ebro was the last great offensive of the Spanish Republicans in the Spanish civil war. ... The French battleship Orient burns, 1 August 1798, during the Battle of the Nile A naval battle is a battle fought using ships or other waterborne vessels. ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Muslim Conquest of Iberia Timeline of Muslim Occupation Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena. ...

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. Flag of the Second Spanish Republic The Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939) was the second period in Spanish history in which the election of both the positions of Head of State and Head of government were in the hands of the people. ... Francisco Franco Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo de Andrade (December 4, 1892 – November 20, 1975), abbreviated Francisco Franco Bahamonde and sometimes known as Generalísimo Francisco Franco, was dictator of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and manouverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... A heavy cruiser is a type of large warship which originated with the British Hawkins class during World War I. They entered service after the war. ...

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. March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Palma (Palma de Mallorca) is the major city and port in the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ...

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. A modern torpedo, historically called a self propelled torpedo, is a self-propelled guided projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...

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. At about 2:20, 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 hours. Of its 765 crewmen, only 372 were saved, mostly by British ships. Admiral de Vierna was among the dead.

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, which ended disastrously for the Republicans later that year.