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Segismundo Bermejo y Merelo
Minister of the Navy of Spain
In office 4 October 1897 – 18 May 1898
Monarch	Alfonso XIII of Spain
Prime Minister	Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
Preceded by	José María Beránger
Succeeded by	Ramón Auñón y Villalón
Personal details
Born	(1832-03-09)March 9, 1832 San Fernando, Spain
Died	December 2, 1899(1899-12-02) (aged 66) Madrid, Spain
Military service
Allegiance	Spain
Branch/service	Spanish Navy
Years of service	1846–1898
Rank	Almirante (Admiral)
Commands	Ministry of the Navy Naval staff Home squadron Torpedo School
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War

Segismundo Bermejo y Merelo (9 March 1832 – 2 December 1899) was a Spanish Navy officer who served as chief of Staff of the Navy and Minister of the Navy during the Spanish–American War. He was most notable for his role in dispatching Pascual Cervera y Topete, in command of a squadron of four cruisers and three destroyers, to Cuba in May 1898. It set up the conditions for the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. Bermejo himself was forced to resign as Minister of the Navy after the defeat of the Spanish Pacific Squadron at the Battle of Manila Bay by the United States Navy, and died a year later.

Early life and service

Born on 9 March 1832 in San Fernando, Cádiz, he joined the Spanish Navy in 1846, when he was just fourteen years old. Bermejo went on to serve in both Cuba and the Philippines. He later served as a professor at the Escuela Naval Militar, heading the torpedo school, being responsible for creating the first division of torpedo boats (later renamed destroyers) in the Spanish Armada. He later served as Chief of Staff of the Navy from 22 October 1896 to 1 April 1897 and commanded the home squadron at Cádiz before becoming minister of the navy in 1897. That year he also attended the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom as one of Spain's representatives, celebrating her 60th anniversary on the throne.

War with the United States

When tensions between the United States and the Kingdom of Spain escalated during the spring of 1898, Admiral Bermejo was confident that the Spanish Navy was capable enough to defeat the U.S. Navy. For Spain's war strategy, Bermejo proposed a blockade of the American East Coast and an attack on Key West, Florida. Rear Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete, a friend of his, pointed out the absurdity of such a plan, stating the Spain did not have the ability carry it out and that the American fleet was much more formidable than theirs. Bermejo continued to remain optimistic nonetheless, and on April 23, he led a meeting of Spanish naval officers to discuss the situation. Ultimately, they accepted the proposal of sending Admiral Cervera to Cuba and Puerto Rico (he was at the time awaiting their decision at Cape Verde). Bermejo's plan was adopted by the government and the only modification was allowing Cervera—who was appointed to lead the fleet—to choose his specific destination in the region.

By early May, when the Pacific Squadron under Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo was defeated at the Battle of Manila Bay (May 1), Bermejo modified the order and gave Cervera permission to return to Spain (who by then had reached the Caribbean Sea). However, at that point Cervera's squadron did not have enough coal to make the return trip, and Bermejo's replacement as naval minister later countermanded that order, telling the rear admiral to remain at the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. Popular opinion turned against Admiral Bermejo due to the defeat of the Spanish squadron at Manila Bay, and he was forced to resign.

Bermejo died in Madrid in 1899.

Personal life

He had written literary works and was an author of science fiction.

Notes

1. Reales decretos nombrando, Jefe de Estado Mayor general de la Armada, á D. Segismundo Bermejo; Director del personal del Ministerio de Marina, á D. Marcial Sánchez, y Vocal del Centro Consultivo de la Armada, á D. Antonio de la Rocha. Gaceta de Madrid núm. 296, de 22/10/1896, página 237.
2. Reales decretos disponiendo cesen en sus destinos D. José Reguera, Comandante de la Escuela de instrucción: D. Segismundo Bermejo, Jefe de Estado Mayor de la Armada; D. Manuel de la Cámara, Jefe de la Comisión de Marina en Londres, y Don Joaquín Lazaga, Comandante de Marina de Manila. Gaceta de Madrid núm. 91, de 01/04/1897, página 2.
3. ^ Tucker (2009), p. 55–56
4. Gaceta de Madrid, issue no. 296, p. 237, from 22 October 1896. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
5. Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, 1897. The London Gazette (March 1898), p. 1611
6. Keenan (2001), p. 72
7. Information from abroad: War notes, Issues 1-8 (1899) Office of Naval Intelligence. pp. 58–64
8. Keenan (2001), p. 73
9. ^ Segismundo Bermejo. Library of Congress. Retrieved 16 August 2017.

Sources

• Keenan, Jerry (2001). Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 157607093X.
• Tucker, Spencer (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1851099511.

v t e Chiefs of Staff of the Spanish Navy
Restoration 1874–1931	Zoilo Sánchez de Ocaña y Vieitiz 1895–1896 Fernando Martínez de Espinosa y Echeverri 1896 Segismundo Bermejo y Merelo 1896–1897 Ismael Warleta y Ordovás 1897–1898 Manuel Mozo y Díaz Robles 1899–1902 Pascual Cervera y Topete 1902– Federico Estrán y Justo 1908–1909 José de la Puente y Bassave 1909–1910 Joaquín María de Cincúnegui y Marco 1910–1912 Francisco Chacón y Pery 1912–1913 Antonio Perea y Orive 1913–1914 Orestes Gracía de Paadín y García 1914–1915 José Pidal Rebollo 1915–1918 Adriano Sánchez Lobatón 1918–1919 José María Chacón y Pery 1919–1920 Gabriel Antón Iboleón 1920–1924 Ignacio Pintado Gough 1924 Juan Carranza y Garrido 1924–1927 José Rivera Álvarez de Canero 1927 Juan Cervera Valderrama 1927–1931 Francisco Javier de Salas González 1931–1936
Republic 1936–1939	Valentín Fuentes López 1937 Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios 1937–1938 Pedro Prado Mendizábal 1938–1939 Julián Sánchez Erostarbe 1939
Dictatorship 1936–1975	Juan Cervera Valderrama 1936–1939 Transferred to the Ministry of the Navy 1939–1942 Alfonso Arriaga Adam 1942–1951 Rafael Estrada Arnaiz 1951–1952 Juan Pastor Tomasety 1952–1956 Felipe José de Abárzuza y Oliva 1956–1957 Santiago Antón Rozas 1957–1963 Jerónimo Bustamante de la Rocha 1963 Fernando Meléndez Bojaro 1963–1966 Rafael Fernández de Bobadilla y Ragel 1966–1967 Adolfo Baturone Colombo 1967–1969 Enrique Barbudo Duarte 1969–1972 Gabriel Pita da Veiga y Sanz 1972–1973 José Ramón González López 1973–1975
Contemporary 1975–present	Carlos Buhigas García 1975–1977 Luis Arévalo Pelluz 1977–1982 Saturnino Suanzes de la Hidalga 1982–1984 Guillermo Salas Cardenal 1984–1986 Fernando María Nárdiz Vial 1986–1990 Carlos Vila Miranda 1990–1994 Juan José Romero Caramelo 1994–1997 Antonio Moreno Barberá 1997–2000 Francisco José Toerrente Sánchez 2000–2004 Sebastián Zaragoza Soto 2004–2008 Manuel Rebollo García 2008–2012 Jaime Muñoz-Delgado y Díaz del Río 2012–2017 Teodoro Esteban López Calderón 2017–2021 Fausto Escrigas Rodríguez (Acting) 2021 Antonio Martorell Lacave 2021–2023 Antonio Piñeiro 2023–present

• 1832 births
• 1899 deaths
• Chiefs of staff of the Navy (Spain)
• Government ministers of Spain
• People from San Fernando, Cádiz
• Spanish admirals
• Spanish military personnel of the Spanish–American War