After the Nationalists proclaimed victory in the Civil War, ties between Spain and the Fascist regime in Italy built up momentum. Suffering from a scarcity of modern ships of all types in its service, Spain planned to study the latest advancements in global shipbuilding, including those made by Italy. The Ansaldo company came up with three heavy cruiser projects for Spain, each with its own armament composition. One of the projects provided for armament to be made up of three 203 mm triple-gun mounts.