IRN Ebro (CB-1936)
The Ebro was built as the scouting force partner to the Battlecruiser Granada. The Iberians did not classify the Ebro as a battlecruiser but as an Armoured Ship which was eventually classified as a "Large Cruiser (CB)". The armament was from the echelon turrets of the ex-Westfallen class battleship purchased by Iberia from the Allied War Reparations Commission. The turrets and barbettes were refurbished before fitting to the Ebro to increase elevation and range. The secondary weapons were the British 4.5" twin turrets that the Iberians had a license to build. Started well after the Canarias class, using the 11" turrets already built saved a lot of time, which meant this ship completed in 3 years against the 4 1/2 years of the Canarias.
The completed ship had a distinctly Germanic States look and rivalled the GS's Moltke class large cruisers. The biggest difference between the Germanic States ships and the Iberians was that the Iberians had no real dreams of World Conquest and their ships reflected this being much shorter ranged for use in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic. The Ebro and Granada wer built as cruiser killers. The Commonwealth doctrine was to use cruisers as their scouts and for shadowing. 11" and 12" armed ships would make mincemeat of such vessels. One of the best features of the ship was the three dual purpose directors for the 4.5" guns.
| Displacement | 20,500 tons std, 27,750 tons full load |
| Length | 644 ft |
| Breadth | 80 ft |
| Draught | 27 ft |
| Machinery | 4 shaft geared turbines, 140,000shp |
| Speed | 32 knots |
| Range | 6500 at 16 knots |
| Armour | 5.9" side, 3.4" deck, 11-3.4" turrets |
| Armament | 8 x 11" (4x2) 14 x 4.5" (7x2) 12 x 37mm (6x2) 26 x 20mm (13x2) |
| Torpedoes | 6 x 21" (2x3) |
| Aircraft | 2 - 3 max |
| Complement | 1100 |
| Notes | IRN Ebro |
