The Black Squadron's unprotected reinforcements

Spain sent Don Juan de Austria, Castilla, and Don Antonio de Ulloa to reinforce its Asiatic Squadron in the Philippines. The three unprotected cruisers reached Manila in 1890 after calls at Barcelona, Port Said, Suez, Aden, Colombo, and Singapore. Painted black rather than the station's usual white, the formation became known as the Black Squadron under Captain Manuel de la Cámara. Its composition embodied a strategic mismatch: presence cruisers were being asked to deter American power and German protected cruisers and armoured ships.