Oquendo-class destroyer
| {{Infobox ship begin
|infobox caption= |display title= |sclass= }} {{Infobox ship image |Ship image=Marqués de la Ensenada D43.jpg |Ship image size=300px |Ship caption= Marqués de la Ensenada at Cartagena, Spain }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Builders= Bazán, Ferrol, Galicia |Operators={{navy|Spain}} |Class before={{sclass|Lepanto|destroyer|4}} |Class after={{sclass|Churruca|destroyer (1972)|4}} |Subclasses= |Built range=1951–1970 |In commission range=1963–1988 |Total ships building= |Total ships planned=9 |Total ships completed=3 |Total ships cancelled=6 |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost= |Total ships retired= |Total ships scrapped=3 |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type=Destroyer |Ship displacement= 3,004 ton |Ship length= {{convert|116.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship beam= *Original: {{convert|11|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=*Original: {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= |Ship propulsion= *3 Bretagne steam boilers
|Ship speed=*Original: {{convert|32.5|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|3200|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|20|kn|abbr=on}} |Ship complement=*Original: 252
|Ship sensors=*Original
|Ship EW=Modernized: AN/WLR-1 |Ship armament=*Original:
|Ship armour= |Ship armor= |Ship aircraft= *Hughes 369{{cite web |url=http://www.elpais.com/solotexto/articulo.html?xref=19811003elpepinac_3&type=Tes |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630031408/http://www.elpais.com/solotexto/articulo.html?xref=19811003elpepinac_3&type=Tes |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 June 2012 |title=Destructor construido en España y adaptado al modelo norteamericano Fram-II |trans-title=Destroyer built in Spain and adapted to the North American model Fram-II |language=Spanish |work=El País|date=3 November 1981}} |Ship aircraft facilities= hangar and landing pad for ASW helicopter |Ship notes= }} |
The Oquendo-class destroyers was a class of three destroyers built for the Spanish Navy. The nine initially projected Oquendo-class destroyers were the most ambitious project fronted by the programs of naval construction of the post-war period in Spain; however, the adoption of Rateau/Bretagne propulsion system, being of a low reliability and high complexity, coupled with the limited capacity of the shipbuilding industry in Spain at the time, led to one of the largest investor fiascos of the Spanish Navy in the 20th century. These ships would be assigned the names and numbers of; D-41 Oquendo, D-42 Roger de Lauria, and D-43 Marqués de la Ensenada.
They were named after Admiral Antonio de Oquendo.
Original order
The Oquendo class was original provisioned in 1943 with the ordering of nine ships. Besides the three ships that were built their names would have been "Blas de Lezo", "Gelmírez", "Lángara", "Bonifaz", "Recalde", and "Blasco de Garay".
Difficulties with construction
The Oquendos were, from the beginning a headache for their designers. The first ship was not launched until 1959, 15 years after initial procurement of material, despite asking for assistance from Ateliers Bretagne in 1955 in order to finish the power plant.
In response to the slow progress of the class, it was decided to radically alter the last two vessels of the class being built, with both being towed from Ferrol to Cartagena, Spain where the ships were literally cut in half lengthwise in order to widen the ships in an effort to resolve some of the stability issues experienced in the original Oquendo. In addition the Spanish Navy attempted to procure modern weaponry and sensors for these vessels. After initial attempts to purchase English arms, it was decided to mount the FRAM II system commonly used on the American destroyers of the era.{{cite web |url=http://www.revistanaval.com/armada/buques2/d40.htm |title= D 40 Oquendo |website=revistanaval.com |language=Spanish |accessdate=6 October 2018}}{{cite web |url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.es/preview/1968/11/02/pagina-42/34337753/pdf.html |work=La Vanguardia |title=Los destructores "Roger de Lauria" y "Marqués de la Ensenada" |trans-title=The destroyers "Roger de Lauria" and "Marques de la Ensenada" |language=Spanish |date=2 November 1968}}
With the design amendments, reading of the features of Roger de Lauria and Marqués de la Ensenada would indicate that these were modern and well-equipped ships for their time, at least on paper. Despite the best conversion efforts, these ships made similar mistakes as the previous {{sclass|Audaz|destroyer|2}}, the original power plant and machinery was kept. As a result, despite being the first ships built in Spain that were equipped with advanced electronic warfare equipment, helicopter facilities, a complete anti-submarine warfare combat system, including variable depth sonar, these ships were limited in their operational capacity from the beginning. Moreover, the enormous amount of resources put into this project prevented the funding and addressing of other possible improvement programs.
The result of these issues was that the Oquendo-class ships had relatively short life spans for the type and time period, being 15, 13, and 18 years for Oquendo, Roger de Lauria, and Marqués de la Ensenada respectively. In addition, the 18 years of service for Marqués de la Ensenada was not due to good performance, but to the fact that in 1981, when Marqués de la Ensenada was about to be discharged, she was damaged in Santander by a bomb planted by the ETA in the line of flotation buoys around the ship. In order to avoid the image of the destruction of a ship that had just suffered a terrorist attack, along with the consequent advertising by the attackers, it was decided to maintain the vessel in service, prolonging its lifespan thru 1988.{{cite news |last=Bedoya |first= J.G | date= 3 October 1981 |title= La policía de Santander atribuye a ETA Militar el sabotaje terrorista contra el "Marqués de la Ensenada" | trans-title = Santander Police blame ETA military terrorist for sabotage against the "Marqués de la Ensenada" |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/ETA/policia/Santander/atribuye/ETA/Militar/sabotaje/terrorista/Marques/Ensenada/elpepiesp/19811003elpepinac_4/Tes/ |language= Spanish |work= El País |accessdate= 31 August 2017}}
Operations
Oquendo was assigned to the 21st Escort Squadron of Cartagena along with the {{sclass|Lepanto|destroyer|2}}
In 1971 Marqués de la Ensenada sailed on an international tour of European waters making port calls at Naples, Casablanca, and Portsmouth. Besides the ETA attack previously mentioned the destroyers of the Oquendo class led relatively quiet careers.
Ships of the class
Three ships of the Oquendo class were built.
| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
!align="center"| Name !align="center"| Number !align="center"| Year launched !align="center"| End of service !align="center"| Cause !align="center"| Comment | |
| bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| {{ship|Spanish destroyer|Oquendo | 2}}
| D-41 | 1963 | 1978 | retired | scrapped |
| {{ship|Spanish destroyer|Roger de Lauria | 2}}
| D-42 | 1969 | 1982 | retired | scrapped |
| bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| {{ship|Spanish destroyer|Marqués de la Ensenada | 2}}
| D-43 | 1970 | 1988 | retired | scrapped |