Spain sent Canarias to search for survivors from Bismarck, giving the cruiser a direct link to the Atlantic war. Laid down in 1928, launched in 1931, and commissioned in 1936, she had taken eight years to complete and then served as fleet flagship through a long career. Spain considered another refit in 1973 and invited the U.S. Navy to survey her condition. The survey found that decades in salt water had left problems that made further life extension unrealistic. Canarias was decommissioned in 1975 and sold for scrap in 1977, but still steamed to the scrapyard under her own power.
Notable Point · 19:53-21:22
From the Bismarck search to a 1970s hull survey
Canarias searched for Bismarck survivors, remained a flagship for decades, and finally failed a practical life-extension assessment.