The crew killed Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Rosas and other officers after he ordered a landing without explaining his intentions. Sailors then tried to aid Republican forces attacking the Ferrol arsenal but were repulsed. Coastal artillery, the destroyer Velasco, España, and the cruiser Almirante Cervera exchanged fire around the harbor. Without the fuel or position to escape, the Republican-aligned crews negotiated surrender and the Nationalists gained the ships.
Chapter · 2:55:20-2:57:49
España's violent transfer during the Spanish Civil War
At Ferrol, divided loyalties produced murdered officers, a failed landing, artillery exchanges, and eventual Nationalist control of España.