Philippine mail steamboat, "Isla de Panay" Captain J. Basté

This boat was built in 1882 by the Scott & Co. shipyard in Greenock, at the request of Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas. It was bought by Compañía Trasatlántica in 1888 but continued to operate on the Eastern route. It also carried troops in Cuba and ran on the New York and Equatorial Guinea routes. Its history includes two events connected to the Philippines that are worth mentioning. First, in October 1886, it took José Rizal to Spain. Rizal was a martyr, poet and key figure at the time of Philippine independence. Second, in 1904, it carried the mortal remains of heroes from the naval Battle of Manila Bay and the Siege of Baler back to Spain. The ship survived the First World War, but sank after running aground between San Carlos and Santa Isabel at midnight on December 7, 1929, as it sailed from Barcelona towards the island of Fernando Po (now also known as Boiko).