At launch Esmeralda combined 18.3 knots with two 10-inch guns, six 6-inch guns, and a light secondary battery. Her defining feature was not side armour but a protective deck over machinery and other vital spaces. The design therefore offered a distinct answer to cruiser survivability without the weight of a conventional armoured belt. Possible influences include the Jeune École, Mahan, Corbett, and lessons drawn from the American Civil War.
Chapter · 6:50-8:32
Why Esmeralda counted as the first protected cruiser
Examine the 18.3-knot speed, heavy mixed battery, and armoured deck that distinguished Esmeralda from armoured and unprotected cruisers.