Battle of Cape Cherchell

Battle of Cape Cherchell
	Part of the Spanish Civil War
	; Republican cruiser Libertad
Date	7 September 1937
Location	Mediterranean Sea near Cherchell, French Algeria
Result	Nationalist victory Republican shipping disrupted in the Mediterranean Sea;
Belligerents
Spanish Republic	Nationalist Spain
Commanders and leaders
Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios	Manuel Vierna Belando
Strength
2 light cruisers; 7 destroyers; 2 cargo ships	1 heavy cruiser
Casualties and losses
2 cargo ships	1 heavy cruiser seriously damaged

The Battle of Cape Cherchell was a naval battle between the Nationalist heavy cruiser Baleares and the Second Spanish Republic light cruisers Libertad and Méndez Núñez during the Spanish Civil War on 7 September 1937. The battle occurred in the Mediterranean Sea several miles north of the city of Cherchell in French Algeria.

Baleares was patrolling the Mediterranean and engaged the Libertad and Méndez Núñez of the Spanish Republican Navy which were protecting two merchant ships. Baleares was heavily damaged in two exchanges of fire with Libertad and did little damage to the Republican ships, but forced the merchant ships to head to the Algerian coast where one wrecked and one was interned by the French. Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios was dismissed as Commander of the Republican Navy as a result of the battle.

Battle

In the morning of 7 September 1937, Baleares unexpectedly met a convoy of Spanish Republican Navy ships while patrolling in the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of French Algeria, about 30 nautical miles north of the city of Cherchell. Republican Navy commander Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios had sent nine ships (two cruisers and seven destroyers) from Cartagena to protect two merchant ships returning with supplies from the Soviet Union. Baleares was vulnerable as she was caught between the convoy and the coast. Captain Manuel Vierna Belando order a change of route to the northeast towards the rear of the convoy. The Republican merchant ships reacted by heading south to Algeria. The four destroyers quickly broke off the engagement and continued to escort the merchant convoy, probably due to the lack of training and confidence to launch a torpedo attack.^[1] While these ships steamed ahead, the cruisers Libertad and Méndez Núñez positioned to engage Baleares, which opened fire on them but did only minor damage; technical failures made the shooting of the Nationalist cruise less accurate.^[1] Libertad fired a volley that landed a direct hit on Baleares, causing a short circuit to her electronics (temporarily disabling her main guns) and causing a fire in her ammunition storage room. This distraction allowed the Republican ships to slip away to the south and regroup.

The Nationalists soon repaired the damage to Baleares and renewed their pursuit. The warships met again in the afternoon by the Algerian coast, with Libertad scoring two more hits on critical areas of Baleares, which then limped off to wait for her sister ship Canarias. The retreating Republican ships were later attacked, ineffectively, by several Nationalist warplanes, with only the destroyer Escaño being hit. Most of the planes were Italian bombers from the Aviación Legionaria, a squadron of the Regia Aeronautica which fought in Spain under Nationalist leader Francisco Franco's orders. During the engagement the captains of the two merchant ships escorted by the Republican fleet had panicked and changed course to the south to seek shelter in Algeria. One of the merchant ships ran aground in Cherchell while the other eventually reached Bona, where they were interned by French authorities.^[2]

Aftermath

Baleares was heavily damaged during the action, three of her sailors were killed and many more were injured, while doing superficial damage to the Republican convoy. However the lone Nationalist ship, while being vastly outnumbered, had been successful in its mission to disrupt the activity of Republican merchant shipping in the Mediterranean. Buiza was removed as commander of the Republican Navy for his poor performance in the battle and replaced by Captain Luis González de Ubieta.^[3] Vierna was promoted to rear admiral, though both he and Baleares would be lost at the Battle of Cape Palos in March 1938.

Notes

^ ^a ^b Alpert, Michael (15 September 2021). The Spanish Civil War at Sea: Dark and Dangerous Waters. Pen and Sword Maritime. ISBN 978-1-5267-6437-9.
^ Alonso, Bruno (2006). La flota republicana y la guerra civil de España. Ed. Renacimiento, pp. 81-82. ISBN 84-96133-75-3 (in Spanish)
^ Thomas, p. 758

References

Hugh Thomas (2001). The Spanish Civil War. Modern Library. ISBN 0-375-75515-2.

External links

Combate Naval Del Cabo Cherchel (in Spanish)

36°54′25″N 2°12′12″E / 36.90694°N 2.20333°E / 36.90694; 2.20333

[:0-1] Alpert, Michael (15 September 2021). The Spanish Civil War at Sea: Dark and Dangerous Waters. Pen and Sword Maritime. ISBN 978-1-5267-6437-9.

[2] Alonso, Bruno (2006). La flota republicana y la guerra civil de España. Ed. Renacimiento, pp. 81-82. ISBN 84-96133-75-3 (in Spanish)

[3] Thomas, p. 758

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