Spanish ship San Ildefonso
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Spain
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| Name: | San Ildefonso |
| Namesake: | Town of San Ildefonso, Segovia, Spain |
| Operator: | Spanish navy |
| Ordered: | 23 February 1784 |
| Builder: | J. Fdz. Romero de Landa |
| Laid down: | 26 March 1784 |
| Launched: | 22 January 1785, Cartagena |
| Captured: | 21 October 1805 |
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Ildefonso |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Acquired: | 21 October 1805 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Seventy-four (third-rate) |
| Armament: |
80 guns: 22 x 8 pounder cannon, 10 x 30 pounder howitzers, 6 x 24 pounder howitzers |
80 guns:
San Ildefonso was a ship of the Spanish Navy launched in 1785. She was designed to be lighter than traditional Spanish vessels which had had difficulty matching the speed of ships of the Royal Navy. Though nominally a 74-gun ship the San Ildefonso actually carried 80 cannons and howitzers. She saw service against French and British vessels in the late 18th century, sailed twice to the Americas and was trapped in Cadiz by the British blockade. San Ildefonso was captured by the British third-rate HMS Defence at the Battle of Trafalgar and successfully weathered the storm afterwards to be taken into Royal Navy service as HMS Ildefonso.
San Ildefonso has been described as a technical milestone in 18th-century Spanish shipbuilding. Having fought the Royal Navy in various wars the Spanish admirals were concerned that their ships could not match equivalent British vessels for speed. The San Ildefonso incorporated many amendments from traditional Spanish designs in order to improve her speed. Instead of traditional iron bolts holding the hull together the vessel utilised much lighter wooden treenails, the upper parts of the ship were made from pine and cedar instead of oak to reduce weight and lower the centre of gravity and the vessel was constructed shorter in length than a traditional Spanish seventy-four would be. Though considered a seventy-four (or third-rate) ship, in common with other vessels of the time, the San Ildefonso actually carried more guns. She was equipped with 80 in total comprising 16 eight pounder cannons on the fore-deck and 6 eight pounder cannons, 10 thirty pounder howitzers and six twenty-four pound howitzers on the aft deck. However unlike most other Spanish ships of the line (including all those present at the Battle of Trafalgar) the San Ildefonso did not carry any four pounder anti-personnel "pedrero" cannons.
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Wikipedia