Infanta Isabel was completed in 1887 and remained on the naval list until 1927. In 1893 she carried the Spanish princess Eulalia through Puerto Rico and Havana to New York, from which the princess visited President Grover Cleveland in Washington. The cruiser stayed for New York's grand naval review, using her appearance and mobility for representation rather than combat. Rebuilt in 1911, by 1921 she needed 194 crew to serve one 66 mm and ten 57 mm guns. Royal Navy Flower-class sloops probably carried heavier armament and could fire more effectively at range, showing how far her diplomatic longevity had outlasted her combat relevance.
Chapter · 6:24-8:31
Infanta Isabel as a diplomatic cruiser
Follow the class's longest-lived ship as she escorts a Spanish princess to the United States and joins New York's 1893 naval review.