One of three Spanish light cruisers designed by Sir Philip Watts based on the British E-class but with only two funnels by re-arranging the boilers. They were capable of very high speed when completed in the early 1920s (34.5kt was recorded on trial) and using twin turrets in B,X & Q positions carried a larger gun armament than their British cousins. Cervantes is modelled with the tripod mainmast fitted when new. This was removed during refits in the 1940s.Two of the sisters were refitted to carry aircraft but these were removed in the 1950s.