Spanish cruiser Vizcaya Vizcaya , was an " Infanta Maria Teresa " - class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish - American War . Technical characteristics . " Vizcaya " was built at Bilbao , Spain . She was laid down in 1889 , launched on 8 July 1891 , and completed in 1893 . She had two funnels and was fast and well armed . Her main armament was mounted on the center line in single barbettes fore and aft . Her armor was poor : her 11 - inch guns had only lightly armored hoods , her 5 . 5 - inch guns were mounted in the open on the upper deck , her armor belt was thin and protected only two - thirds of her length , and she had a high , unprotected freeboard that took much damage during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba . Like other nineteenth - century warships , she was heavily furnished and decorated with wood , which the Spanish failed to remove prior to combat and which would feed fires during the battle . Operational history . " Vizcaya " was visiting New York City on a " friendly " visit to reciprocate for the visit of battleship USS " Maine " to Havana , Cuba , when " Maine " exploded and sank at Havana on 15 February 1898 . " Vizcaya " then steamed to Havana , where she rendezvoused with her sister ship " Almirante Oquendo " . Ordered back across the Atlantic as war approached , both ships was assigned to the Spanish Navy ' s 1st Squadron , which was concentrating at São Vicente in Portugal ' s Cape Verde Islands under Vice Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete . They arrived at São Vicente on 19 April 1898 . It was noted that " Vizcaya " badly needed drydocking because of a badly fouled bottom , her 5 . 5 - inch guns had defective breech mechanisms and had been supplied with defective ammunition , and the fleet had a shortage of stokers . The Spanish - American War began while " Vizcaya " was at São Vicente . Ordered by neutral Portugal in accordance with international law to leave São Vicente within 24 hours of the declaration of war , " Vizcaya " and the rest of Cervera ' s squadron departed on 29 April 1898 , bound for San Juan , Puerto Rico . Cervera ' s ships reached French - owned Martinique in the Lesser Antilles on 10 May 1898 . While " Vizcaya " and the other large ships loitered in international waters , two Spanish destroyers went into Fort - de - France to ask for coal . France was neutral and would not supply coal , so the Spanish squadron departed on 12 May 1898 for Dutch - owned Curaçao , where Cervera expected to meet a collier . Cervera arrived at Willemstad on 14 May , but the Netherlands also was neutral , and strictly enforced its neutrality by allowing only " Vizcaya " and her sister ship " Infanta Maria Teresa " to enter port and permitting them to load only 600 tons of coal . On 15 May , Cervera ' s ships departed , no longer bound for San Juan , which by now was under a U . S . Navy blockade , but for as - yet unblockaded Santiago de Cuba on the southeastern coast of Cuba , arriving there on 19 May 1898 . Cervera hoped to refit his ships there before he could be trapped . His squadron was still in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba when an American squadron arrived on 27 May 1898 and began a blockade which would drag on for 37 days . Some action occurred during the blockade . On 3 June 1898 , the U . S . Navy steamed the collier USS " Merrimac " into the entrance channel to the harbor , hoping to scuttle her so as to block the channel and trap the Spanish ships inside . Spanish shore batteries already had disabled " Merrimac " when she drifted up the channel to a point where the Spanish ships could fire on her as well . " Vizcaya " , the unprotected cruiser " Reina Mercedes " , and the destroyer " Pluton " all opened fire , and " Merrimac " quickly sank in a position that did not block the entrance . " Vizcaya " hit the bridge of the " Merrimac " with several 5 . 5 inch rounds . The blockade wore on , with " Vizcaya " and the others enduring occasional American naval bombardments of the harbor . " Vizcaya " still had two 5 . 5 - inch guns out of commission , 80 percent of the 5 . 5 - inch ammunition was defective , and nothing could be done under the circumstances about her terribly fouled bottom . Some of her men joined others from the fleet in a Naval Brigade to fight against a U . S . Army overland drive toward Santiago de Cuba . By the beginning of July 1898 , that drive threatened to capture Santiago de Cuba , and Cervera decided that his squadron ' s only hope was to try to escape into the open sea by running the blockade . The decision was made on 1 July 1898 , with the break - out set for 3 July 1898 . The crew of " Vizcaya " spent 2 July 1898 returning from Naval Brigade service and preparing for action . " Vizcaya " was to be the second ship in line during the escape , following Cervera ' s flagship " Infanta Maria Teresa " ; while " Infanta Maria Teresa " sacrificed herself by attacking the fastest American ship , the armored cruiser USS " Brooklyn " , " Vizcaya " and the others were to put on all the speed they could and run westward for the open sea . At about 0845 hours on 3 July 1898 , the Spanish ships got underway . The U . S . squadron sighted the Spanish ships in the channel at about 0935 , and the Battle of Santiago de Cuba began . While their squadron mates turned to starboard and put on steam for a run to the west behind them , " Vizcaya " followed " Infanta Maria Teresa " closely as she charged " Brooklyn " as if to ram . When " Brooklyn " turned away to the east , " Vizcaya " and " Infanta Maria Teresa " turned west , brushing past the last obstacle in their path , the armed yacht USS " Vixen " . " Vizcaya " now found herself back in the line - ahead formation the squadron had formed when it left its anchorage , in second place behind " Infanta Maria Teresa " and ahead of armored cruiser " Cristóbal Colón " and " Almirante Oquendo " . At 1035 , the sinking " Infanta Maria Teresa " was driven ashore with heavy damage and fires , and " Almirante Oquendo " soon suffered the same fate , running aground nearly abreast of " Vizcaya " . Further inshore , the two Spanish destroyers also succumbed . By 1050 , " Vizcaya " and " Cristóbal Colón " were the only Spanish ships left . " Brooklyn " now focused on " Vizcaya " , closing to a range of 950 yards ( 870 m ) and pounding " Vizcaya " with numerous 8 - inch ( 203 - mm ) and 5 - inch ( 127 - mm ) shell hits , while battleships " Texas " , " Iowa " , " Oregon " , and " Indiana " also scored hits . " Vizcaya " managed to score two 5 . 5 - inch hits on " Brooklyn " , killing the lone American sailor who died in the battle . But at about 1100 , " Brooklyn " scored two punishing 8 - inch ( 203 - mm ) hits on " Vizcaya " ; one detonated a torpedo in her forward tube and blew a large part of her bow off , and the other knocked down her bridge and set her decorative woodwork and wooden furnishings on fire . When the fire began to cause ready ammunition for the secondary battery to explode , the end was clearly at hand for " Vizcaya " . At 1106 , she turned toward the shore , struck her battle ensign , and ran herself up on the beach . Some of her sailors made it ashore , although they had to beware of Cuban insurgents , who began to shoot the survivors of the wrecked Spanish ships . Others were rescued by American sailors who brought small boats alongside the wrecks to take off survivors . One of those rescued was the commanding officer of " Vizcaya " , Captain Don Antonio Eulate , who , when brought aboard " Iowa " , looked at the burning wreck of his ship , raised his hand in salute , and called out " " Adios , Vizcaya ! " " Immediately , as if on cue , the cruiser ' s forward magazines exploded . Postwar , a U . S . Navy survey team evaluating Spanish wrecks for their potential for being raised and put in American service concluded that " Vizcaya " was beyond salvage .