Alfonso XII - class cruiser The " Alfonso XII " class of unprotected cruisers was a series of three cruisers built during the 1880s for service with the Spanish Navy . They were named for a recent Spanish king and two recent Spanish queens . Description . The " Alfonso XII " class had three masts and two funnels . They were unarmored , but their hulls were built with a French - style cellular system with 12 watertight bulkheads . The Ferrol - built ships were the first two steel - hulled cruisers built in that yard . The main guns were built by Hontoria and mounted in sponsons . The torpedo tubes were fixed ; one was on each beam , two were forward , and one was aft . The class took a long time to complete ; the lead unit was delayed for five years by material shortages and took ten years from keel - laying to commissioning . The ships were designed for colonial service , and were not intended to fight the armored and heavily armed ships they would meet in the Spanish - American War . They were plagued by machinery and boiler problems , and proved to be much slower steamers than their designers had intended . History . After early service in home waters , the " Alfonso XII " - class cruisers were assigned to colonial duty in the Caribbean and Philippines . Thanks to machinery and boiler problems , only one was seaworthy during the Spanish - American War , and two were lost during the conflict , one of the sunken ships being salvaged and put into service in the United States Navy . The lone survivor in Spanish service was decommissioned soon after the war . Ships in class . " Alfonso XII " . Named for a Spanish king and laid down in 1881 , " Alfonso XII " was delayed during construction for five years by material shortages and not completed until 1891 . She was immobilized at Havana , Cuba , by machinery and boiler trouble by 1897 , and was anchored only 200 yards ( 183 m ) from the battleship USS " Maine " when the latter exploded in February 1898 . Unable to get underway , she took no part in the ensuing Spanish - American War except to land her guns for use in coastal defenses . She was decommissioned in 1900 , the last survivor of the class in Spanish service . " Reina Cristina " . Named for a Spanish queen , " Reina Cristina " was launched in 1887 . After early service in Spanish waters , she was sent to the Philippines , where she supported Spanish actions against Philippine insurgents . She was flagship of the squadron of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron at Manila Bay and the only member of her class that was seaworthy when the Spanish - American War broke out , and was sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898 . " Reina Mercedes " . Named for a Spanish queen , " Reina Mercedes " was launched in 1887 . After early service in Spanish waters , she was sent to the Caribbean , where she became flagship of Spanish naval forces in Cuban waters . She was immobilized by boiler trouble at Santiago de Cuba when the Spanish - American War began , and was trapped there along with the squadron of Vice Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete . After the annihilation of Cervera ' s squadron in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba , " Reina Mercedes " was scuttled as a blockship in the harbor entrance on the night of 4 – 5 July 1898 . She was soon salvaged by the United States Navy and served for many years in the United States as the unarmed receiving ship USS " Reina Mercedes " .