Capitán Miranda was ordered in January 1930 from the Spanish Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval shipyard at Cádiz. The vessel was laid down on 3 March and launched on 27 July 1930. As a hydrographic vessel she displaced 552 tons, with an overall length of 54.85m (179.95feet), and a beam of 8m (26feet). Capable of 12.5kn, the ship was armed with a 37 mm cannon and a machine gun, and had a complement of 52. She was named after Captain Francisco Prudencio Miranda (1868–1925), Uruguayan naval officer and marine geographer.[1]
Sea trials were completed on 19 November 1930, and on 21 November Capitán Miranda was delivered to the Uruguayan Navy. She served as a survey ship, charting the coasts and waters of Uruguay until 1976. She was then due to be scrapped, but instead was converted into a three-masted schooner. The conversion was completed by 20 October 1978, when she began in her new role as a training ship. Capitan Miranda has since participated in numerous international tall ship regattas.[1]