Warships for Spain
In 1936-37 Germany delivered five ex-Kriegsmarine S-boats (S1-S5) to Nationalist Spain (S1-S5). Falange (ex-S2) and Requeté (LT-11, ex-S4) were transported on the merchant vessel Uhlenfels, leaving Bremenhaven on 10 November 1936, arriving in Ferrol four days later. Oviedo (LT-12, ex-S5) and ex-S3 were transported on merchant vessel Ilmar, leaving Kiel on 4 February 1937, arriving in Cádiz six days later, however ex-S3 was seriously damaged during unloading and was apparently returned to Germany. Badajoz (LT-13, ex-S1) was transported on merchant vessel Hansa Kendelfels from Hamburg on 26 February 1937, arriving in Cádiz on 3 March. In February 1939 a sixth boat, Toledo (LT-14, ex-S6) was delivered as a replacement for the damaged ex-S3. Note that Falange was lost by fire in Malaga on 18 June 1937 and not given an LT number.
In 1937, Italy transferred four motor torpedo boats to the Nationalist Navy. Nápoles (LT-17, ex-MAS100) and Sicilia (LT-18, ex-MAS223) of World War 1 vintage were transported to Cádiz on board the Italian cruiser Muzio Attendolo in January 1937, arriving on 5 February. They were followed by the newer Cándido Pérez (LT-19 ex-MAS435) and Javier Quiroga (ex-MAS437) on 10 March 1937. Quiroga was not allocated an LT number, as she was lost in collision with Cándido Pérez off Gibraltar on 7 May 1937.
Finally, the Soviet Union transferred four G5 class motor torpedo boats to the Spanish Republican Navy in May 1937. Two were transported on board the Spanish Republican armed merchant vessel Santo Tomé from Odessa, arriving in Cartagena in May 1937. In the following weeks the second two were transported on the Spanish Republican armed merchant vessel merchant Aldecoa. Named DAR 11, DAR 21, DAR 31 and DAR 41 in Republican service, DAR 31 was heavily damaged by aircraft on 5 November 1937 and became a total loss, while DAR 41 was sunk by aircraft near Barcelona on 30 July 1939. DAR 11 and DAR 21 were subsequently renamed LT-15 and LT-16 respectively in 1941.
Most of these transfers did not contravene the restrictions on disposing of vessels of war in such a manner that they may become a vessel of war in a foreign navy. The Soviet transfers pre-dated the ASNA. For Italy, even though the transfer of Nápoles and Sicilia was apparently agreed on 30 December 1936, the actual transfers occurred between the expiry of the WNT on 31 December 1936, and the Italian accession to LNT36 on 2 December 1938, when Italy was technically not bound by any naval limitation treaty. AGNA35 contained no restrictions on the exporting of second-hand warships, and the transfer of S1-S5 from Germany pre-dated AGNA37. The one MTB transfer that did violate a naval disarmament treaty was the transfer of S6 in February 1939, when Germany was still bound by AGNA37.
On 20 April 1937, the Italians secretly supplied two near-new submarines Evangelista Torricelli and Archimede to the Nationalists which were renamed General Mola and General Sanjuro respectively. Four further submarines – Ferraris, Galilei, Iride and Onice – were also temporarily transferred in August 1937. Although they were renamed Mola II, Sanjurjo II, General Lopez and Aguilar Tablada respectively, and flew the Spanish flag, all four retained their Italian crews. The four temporarily transferred submarines operated from the base of Soller in the Balearic Islands until December 1937, after which they returned to Italy.
In 1937, the Italians supplied four old destroyers of World War One Vintage to the Nationalists. Aquila and Falco were provided on 10 October 1937, being renamed Melilla and Ceuta respectively, while Guglielmo Pepe and Alessandro Poerio were provided on 28 November 1937 being renamed Teruel and Huesca respectively. Teruel and Huesca were formally transferred to the Spanish Navy in June 1938, and Melilla and Ceuta on 6 January 1939.
As for the Motor Torpedo Boats, all of these submarines and destroyers were physically transferred from Italy to Spain during the period when Italy was not bound by either WNT, or LNT36, although a tenuous case could be made that the official transfer date of Melilla and Ceuta represented a technical breach of LNT36.