Lead ship of her class, Aragon was a Spanish unprotected cruiser, laid down as a central-battery ironclad in 1869. Due to politics, Aragon was redesigned while building, delaying her launch. Completed with an armament of eight 203mm (8") 180 pounder rifled muzzle-loaders, Aragon was rearmed in 1885, receiving six 163mm (6.4") guns, two 87mm (3.4") guns, four 75mm (3") guns, ten machine guns, and a pair of 356mm (14") torpedo tubes. Originally designed for service guarding Spains colonies, she was not commissioned until 1880. Assigned to Cadiz, she operated from there until the mid-1890s. Aragon was hulked by 1896, and was sold for scrapping in either 1900 or 1905.