Spanish ship Conde de Regla (1786)

Conde de Regla was a 112-gun three-decker ship of the line built at Havanna for the Spanish Navy in 1786 to plans by Romero Landa. One of the eight very large ships of the line of the Santa Ana class, also known as los Meregildos. Conde de Regla served in the Spanish Navy for three decades throughout the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Although she was a formidable part of the Spanish battlefleet throughout these conflicts, the only major action Conde de Regla participated in was the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797.

History
Spain
Name	Conde de Regla
Builder	Havanna
Launched	4 November 1786
Fate	Broken up Port Mahon, 1810
Notes	Participated in: Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797)
General characteristics
Class and type	Santa Ana-class ship of the line
Tonnage	2,112 tonnes
Length	56.14 m
Beam	15.5 m
Draught	7.37 m
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	801
Armament	On launch: 30 × 36-pounder cannon 32 × 24-pounder cannon 32 × 12-pounder cannon 18 × 8-pounder cannon
Armour	None

Construction

The Santa Ana class was built for the Spanish fleet in the 1780s and 1790s as heavy ships of the line, the equivalent of Royal Navy first rate ships. The other ships of the class were the Santa Ana, Mejicano, Salvador del Mundo, Real Carlos, San Hermenegildo, Reina María Luisa and Príncipe de Asturias. Three of the class were captured or destroyed during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Conde de Regla was constructed at Havana, funded by Pedro Romero de Terreros, Count of Regla, after whom the ship was named.

History

Conde de Regla's sea-trials took place in 1787 under Juan de Lángara y Huarte, who reported that the ship sailed smoothly and the gun batteries operated efficiently.

In 1797, Conde de Regla was with the Spanish fleet which fought the British at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent. The Spanish fleet was defeated and four ships were lost, although Conde de Regla survived the battle with losses of 9 killed, including Commodore Count Amblimont and 16 seriously wounded, including Comandante Jerónimo Bravo.

Between 1799 and 1801, Conde de Regla was with the combined French and Spanish fleet stationed at Brest after participating in the Croisière de Bruix campaign. During the Napoleonic Wars Conde de Regla was laid up at Arsenal de la Carraca.

In mid-1810 Conde de Regla, in poor repair and with the Spanish Navy lacking the materials to repair her, was broken up at Port Mahon. Her timbers were used as firewood by the local population.

References

• This article is based on a translation of an article from the Spanish Wikipedia.
• Herrero Gimenez, J. J. (2023). The Peninsular War: The Spanish Perspective. Yorkshire: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-39904-785-2.