Convoy de la victoria The Convoy de la victoria ( English : " Victory ' s convoy " ) is the name given by the Spanish Nationalist s to a naval battle which took place on 5 August 1936 in the Strait of Gibraltar during the Spanish Civil War between the escort of a Nationalist convoy and the Republican destroyer " Alcalá Galiano " . Background . As of end of July 1936 , the Spanish rebel forces were in dire straits . The Republic held two thirds of the country , the capital city , the gold reserves , the major urban centers and most of the industries . Furthermore , the main shock force of the rebels , the Spanish Army of Africa was isolated in the Spanish Morocco , the Republic held most of the Navy and from July 19 the Spanish Republican Navy warships were patrolling the waters between Morocco and the mainland . Nevertheless , with the assistance of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy , the Nationalists managed to airlift their troops from Africa to Andalusia . The airlift of troops . The Nationalists requested and received transport aircraft from Germany and Italy in order to transport their troops , establishing the first airlift of troops of history . Germany sent 20 Junkers Ju - 52 and between July 29 and August 5 the Nationalists carried 1 , 500 men of the Spanish Army of Africa across the Strait by air , and another 15 , 000 between August 5 and August 15 ( according to historian Hugh Thomas , 12 , 000 men were flown between August and September ) . Hitler said that : " Franco ought to erect a monument to the glory of the Junkers - 52 " . This success was a major psychological blow ( the news of the arrival of the Moors spread terror among the Republicans ) , but the Republican Navy still controlled the Straits and the Republican battleship " Jaime I " threatened the transport aircraft with her heavy anti - aircraft fire . Convoy de la Victoria . On August 5 , Franco decided to break the Republican naval blockade , with a convoy of merchant ships , carrying 2 , 500 to 3 , 000 soldiers , equipment and heavy weapons . The convoy departed from Ceuta and was made up of four transports escorted by the gunboat " Dato " , the coastguard ship " Uad Kert " ( a World War I armed trawler , ex - HMT " Rother " ) and the old T - 1 class torpedo boat " T - 19 " . The convoy was covered by five Savoia SM . 81 bombers , three trimotors Fokker , one DC - 2 , 2 Nieuport fighters , two hydroplanes and a squadron of Breguet XIX . Three Republican destroyers were keeping a close watch on Spanish Morocco ports , but in the morning of 5 August the Nationalist aircraft launched air attacks against the Republican vessels in the Strait and the Republican destroyer " Lepanto " was forced to leave Gibraltar by the British authorities . Because of this , only the " Alcalá Galiano " engaged the Nationalist ships . The convoy , bound for Algeciras , successfully reached its destination on the evening after a brief exchange of fire . While mooring in Algeciras , the gunboat " Dato " straddled British destroyer HMS " Basilisk " after misidentifying her as Republican . While steaming back to Málaga , the " Alcalá Galiano " was attacked and hit by Nationalist aircraft . Francoist sources claim that she suffered 18 seamen killed and 28 wounded . Aftermath . From August 6 transport ships crossed the Strait of Gibraltar , with the cover of the Italian bombers . On August 7 , the " Jaime I " and the cruiser " Libertad " shelled Algeciras and severely damaged the " Dato " and the " Uad Kert " , but on the first week of August a German Junkers Ju 52 struck the Republican battleship " Jaime I " and Italian bombers started to harass the Republican fleet so that they could not longer prevent the passage of transport ships . Furthermore , the Republican warships were inefficiently handled by her crews and two German cruisers , " Deutschland " and " Admiral Scheer " patrolled the Strait . In addition , the English authorities in Gibraltar and Tangier were hostile to Republicans . The British oil companies at Gibraltar , refused to sell fuel to the Republican navy . The Tangier International Commission denied the use of the harbor to the Republican Navy , because was contrary to the city ' s neutrality , but nevertheless authorized the passage of food , goods and gasoline for the German transport planes to the Spanish Morocco . By the end of September , the Republic had lost the control of the waters between Morocco and the mainland .