Spanish destroyer Plutón

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Plutón was a Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy, built in Britain. Its keel was laid in February 1897, it was launched in July 1897, and it was completed in November 1897. It was designed as a torpedo boat destroyer to defend larger ships and to attack them with torpedoes.

In 1898, as tensions rose with the United States, Plutón joined Vice Admiral Cervera’s 1st Squadron. The squadron sailed from Cádiz on April 8 toward São Vicente in the Cape Verde Islands, with Infanta María Teresa, Cristóbal Colón, Furor, and Terror. The ships had engine trouble and burned a lot of coal, arriving at São Vicente on April 14. Neutral Portugal ordered them to leave within 24 hours after the war began, so the fleet moved toward San Juan, Puerto Rico, but continued to be hampered by engine trouble and lack of coal, stopping at Martinique and then Curaçao to coal and repair.

The squadron then headed for Santiago de Cuba, where the U.S. Navy began a blockade in May. On June 3, the Americans sunk the collier Merrimac in an attempt to block the channel, with Plutón firing during the action. In July, the Spanish decided to break out. On July 3, 1898, Plutón was the sixth ship in line. As the fleet tried to reach open sea, U.S. ships opened fire. Plutón was hit several times and, after trying to escape toward the shore, ran aground near Cabañas Bay. The ship was lost, and its survivors faced Cuban insurgents ashore, while others were rescued by U.S. sailors.