"Segunto", named for the ancient Siege of Saguntum, was ordered in December 1862 as the 100-gun ship of the line "Principe Don Alfonso" from the Royal Shipyard of Esteiro () in Ferrol. The ship was laid down on 21 March 1863 and she was renamed "Segunto" in 1868 while she was being converted into a central-battery ironclad. The ship was launched on 26 April 1869 and commissioned on 1 February 1877.