Cape Palos
In March 1938, "Baleares"—along with fellow Nationalist cruisers and —engaged the Republican cruisers "Libertad" and "Méndez Núñez", accompanied by five destroyers, off Cartagena, in the Battle of Cape Palos. At around 02:15 am on 6 March, the Nationalist and Republican cruisers engaged in an ineffective gunnery duel. During this gunnery duel, the Republican destroyers , , and all fired their torpedoes. Two or three torpedoes from "Lepanto" hit "Baleares" between "A" and "B" turrets, detonating her forward magazine and sinking her. Out of her crew of 1,206, she had 765 seamen killed or missing, among them Vice-Admiral Manuel Vierna Belando, commander of the cruiser division.