List of Spanish sail frigates


This is a list of Spanish sail frigates built or acquired during the period 1700–1854.
Spanish frigates generally had religious names, often the names of saints or "our Lady". Those with primarily secular names usually had additionally a religious name, which is listed below in the second column where known.
An asterisk in the "Launch date" column indicates the date of acquisition for vessels not built for the Spanish Navy.

Habsburg era – pre-1700

During the 17th century, and for much of the first half of the 18th century, the term 'frigate' encompassed ships with two complete gundecks rated at about 50 guns as well as smaller single-decked vessels. The smaller frigates evolved from the fast and lightly armed vessels built chiefly on the coast of Flanders, and employed in the English Channel and southern North Sea, as well as escorting the trade routes from the Spanish Netherlands to the north coast of Spain.

Final phase – from 1815 to 1854

The post-Napoleonic era began with the acquisition of six frigates from Russia in 1818. These proved of poor quality and were soon disposed of.
NameBuilt atLaunch
date		No of
Guns		Fate/notes
AstrolabioSt Petersburg17 September 181144ex-Russian Avtroil, acquired 21 February 1818
MercurioSt Petersburg13 July 181544ex-Russian Merkurii, acquired 21 February 1818
PatricioArkangelsk21 June 181644ex-Russian Patrikii, acquired 21 February 1818;
renamed María Isabel soon after acquisition.
Captured by Chileans 20 September 1819.
LigeraSt Petersburg16 August 181644ex-Russian Legkii, acquired 12 October 1818
VivaArkangelsk26 May 181640ex-Russian Provornyi, acquired 12 October 1818
ProntaSt Petersburg16 August 181640ex-Russian Pospeshnyi, acquired 12 October 1818
AretusaBordeaux29 April 181940Stricken 1829
IberiaFerrol3 March 182550Stricken in December 1830
LealtadFerrol19 March 182550Wrecked 13 January 1834 at Santander
RestauraciónFerrol14 October 182650Renamed Ville de Bilbao in 1837;
hulked in 1840
EsperanzaCavite29 November 183448
CortesFerrol27 July 183644Stricken 21 March 1863
Isabel IIFerrol23 September 183644Hulked in May 1860
Reina María CristinaFerrol6 February 183752Stricken 25 October 1852
BailénFerrol29 March 185440Stricken 21 August 1865