new-york “water buses” – the intrépida and mensajera gunboats

In 1895, with the beginning of Cuban insurgence, the Spanish acquired a series of civil vessels and powerboats in the US. Unfortunately, in the Spanish literature there has been relatively little mention of the fate of these numerous units before the purchase and after the end of the Spanish-American War of 1898. Based on the findings of the author’s analysis of data from Spanish and American print media, the author puts forth a supposition that the New-York “water buses” Shrewsbury and Navesink sold by the US in 1895 would turn into the Spanish gunboats Intrépida and Mensajera. It is likely that during the deal process they could have temporary names, General Laborde and General Tacón. Both powerboats were actively used in blockade operations against the insurgents in 1896–97, and after the Spanish-American War they were dropped from the Spanish fleet. That said, Intrépida became one of the first ships within the naval fleet of the young Cuban republic led by Antonio Maceo. Based on the findings of an analysis of data from naval handbooks, the author puts forth a supposition that this ship might have been not Intrépida but the one-class ship Mensajera.