The Pizarro class were based on the s, two of which were built for the Spanish Navy, launched in 1939–40 and completed in 1942–43. While the Eolo class were designed to combine the role of minelaying and escort, the Pizarros were more specialist escort vessels, with a heavy gun armament.
The ships were 95.2m (312.3feet) long overall and 87.54m (287.2feet) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 12.15m (39.86feet) and a draught of 3.4m (11.2feet). Displacement was 1710disp=flipNaNdisp=flip standard and 2246LT full load. Two Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Parsons geared steam turbines. The machinery was rated at 5000shp, giving a speed of 18.5kn. A maximum of 402 tons of oil fuel could be carried, giving a range of 3000nmi at .
The ships' main gun armament consisted of six 1201NaN1 guns in three twin mounts, with one forward and two aft. Eight and six guns comprised the close-in anti-aircraft armament. Some of the class (including Pizarro, Vasco Núñez de Balboa and Vicente Yáñez Pinzón) were originally armed with two anti-aircraft guns instead of the 120 mm guns before being rearmed with the intended armament. Anti-submarine armament consisted of four depth charge throwers, and up to 30 naval mines could be carried. The ships had a crew of 250.
Legazpi and Vicente Yáñez Pinzón were modernised in 1960 as part of a major programme of modernising ships of the Spanish Navy. The two ships were completely re-armed, with a gun armament of two American 38 calibre dual purpose guns in two single mounts, with a close-in anti-aircraft armament of four Bofors L/70 guns. Anti-submarine armament consisted of two racks for anti-submarine torpedoes (eight torpedoes were carried), two Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar batteries, eight depth-charge throwers and two depth-charge racks.
The eight ships were all launched at the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval (SECN) shipyard at Ferrol dockyard in August 1944. Financial problems in Francoist Spain delayed construction of the ships, which were completed from 1947 to 1951. They were initially rated as Cañoneros (gunboats) and were re-rated as Fragatas (frigates) in 1958.
Two ships were discarded in 1968, with most of the rest of the class stricken in the next few years. By 1978, only Vicente Yáñez Pinzón remained in service. She remained in service until 1982.
| Name | Pennant Number | Launched | Completed | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F32 | 3 August 1944 | 18 September 1947 | Stricken 2 December 1971 | ||
| F42 | 8 August 1944 | 8 August 1951 | Stricken 4 November 1978 | ||
| F35 | 8 August 1944 | 20 December 1948 | Stricken 1972 | ||
| F34 | 3 August 1944 | 18 March 1948 | Stricken 1968 | ||
| F31 | 3 August 1944 | 9 August 1946 | Stricken 1968 | ||
| F36 | 8 August 1944 | 2 May 1950 | Stricken 1973 | ||
| F33 | 3 August 1944 | 15 March 1947 | Stricken 1972 | ||
| F41 | 3 August 1944 | 5 August 1949 | Stricken 1982 |