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The ''Tornado'' was a bark-rigged screw steam cruiser of the Spanish Navy, first launched at Clydebank, Scotland in 1863, as the Confederate raider ''C.S.S. Texas''. She is most famous for having captured the North American filibustering ship ''Virginius'', which led to the "Virginius Affair", which afterwards, led to the Spanish-American Crisis of 1873. ==Design and construction== She was built as the Confederate raider ''C.S.S. Texas'', but was seized by the British Government in 1863 and acquired in 1865.〔Jack Greene, Alessandro Massignani, p. 275〕 She was purchased by the Chilean government for 75,000 Pounds, through Isaac Campbell & Co, in February 1866.〔http://www.whenliverpoolwasdixie.co.uk/pamp.htm 〕 In early 1862, Lt. George T. Sinclair was sent to England, with orders to build a ''clipper propeller for cruising purposes'', and to take command of her when she was ready for sea.〔 His instructions were to confer with Commander Bulloch in Liverpool, as to the design of the vessel, and the building, fitting out and arming of her.〔 Bulloch received orders to help Sinclair with funds and advice. He showed Sinclair the drawings and specifications for the CSS Alabama, also the contract with Lairds, and they both decided to use these as a basis for the new cruiser.〔 What Sinclair did, was to arrange, with the help of the Southern diplomat James M. Mason, for an issue of bonds, each equal to 25 bales of cotton, weight 12,500 pounds. Seven individuals took up these bonds, and were effectively the owners of this new vessel.〔 The new cruiser was contracted by James and George Thomson of Glasgow, in October 1862. The same firm that was contracted to build an ironclad ram for Lt. North. The ''Pampero'' was modeled on the ''Alabama'', even though she was somewhat larger.〔McKenna, p. 163.〕 The ''Pampero'' was to be 231 feet in length, 33 feet in breadth, powered by both sail and steam. Bark rigged, she was equipped for cruising under canvas or steam, with telescopic funnels, and a raise-able screw.〔 Similar, but larger engines to the Alabama were placed below the waterline for protection. Her frame was iron, with a mixture of iron and wood for the planking.〔 Her armament was to be three 8-inch pivot guns, and a broadside battery of four or more guns. The original contract called for the ''Pampero'' to be ready for sea by July 1863, but the schedule could not be maintained. Guns and gun carriages were ordered, and Sinclair received £10,000 ($40,000) from Bulloch, and perhaps more. For his crew, Sinclair made arrangements for some men to come out from Baltimore.〔McKenna, p. 164.〕 By the spring of 1863, Sinclair was becoming very concerned about the ''Pampero'', and feared that the British Government would not permit the departure of any vessel suspected to be Confederate.〔 He visited Paris to discuss with John Slidell the possibility of transferring the vessel to France. Slidell suggested Hamburg in Germany would be a better alternative. However, Sinclair investigated this, but did not proceed with it.〔 Meanwhile, the completion of the ''Pampero'' was further delayed by labor troubles, and the seizure of the ''Alexandria'', another Confederate vessel in production at Lairds, by the British Government. The Alexandria trial was indecisive, and Mason put off the launching of the ''Pampero''until a final verdict was reached.''〔 The ''Pampero'' herself first came to the attention of Thomas H. Dudley, United States Consul in Liverpool, in the spring of 1863, when he made an investigative tour of Northern England and Scotland, looking for any warships being built for the Confederates.〔 He learned that Thomsons were building a screw steamer "of about 1500 tons," designed for great speed.〔 He was told that she was to have an angle-iron frame and teak planking, and he found that among the workmen it was generally believed that she was for the South. On his next trip to Scotland in August 1863, his suspicions increased as new details on the vessel came to light. The builders insisted that the boat was for the Turkish Government, but Dudley`s informants in the yard insisted the boat was for the South, being supervised by the same men as those who supervised the building of the ironclad ram. Dudley left behind a spy in Thomsons yard, who soon reported that the vessel was rigged in the same manner as the Alabama, the drawings of which, he was told, were in Glasgow.〔 The ''Pampero'' by a Mrs. Galbraith, the vessel finally slid down the slipway on October 29, 1863. On November 10, the American consul in Glasgow, W. L. Underwood formally requested that the ''Pampero'' be detained.〔 Although the British Government did not make any immediate legal moves, in late November a British warship was moored abreast of the ''Pampero'', and she was placed under a 24-hour scrutiny by customs officers. Court proceedings against the ''Pampero'' commenced on March 18, 1864, and were never satisfactorily concluded. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Spanish cruiser Tornado」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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