The Emperor Carlos V was an armoured cruiser of the Spanish navy laid down in March 1892 and launched in March 1895 with a total displacement of around 9000 tonnes. She carried fairly heavy guns for the displacement, carrying 2 – 11 inch guns and a smattering of smaller guns around the ship, but also posessed an armoured deck of 165mm at the slopes and 50mm on top, giving a reasonable protection to the machinery.