Their intention was to defend Galdames's mail, passengers, machinery, weapons, supplies and 500 tons of nickel coins property of the Basque government.

Bizcaya's captain was Alejo Bilbao, Nabarra's Enrique Moreno Plaza from Murcia, Gipuzkoa's Manuel Galdós, and Donostia's Francisco Elortegi.

She was eventually hit in the boiler and came to a stop; 20 men abandoned the sinking trawler, while other 29 were lost with the ship, including her captain, Enrique Moreno Plaza.

Gipuzkoa arrived at Portugalete seriously damaged and Bizcaya headed for Bermeo, where she assisted the Estonian merchantman Yorbrook with a load including ammunition and 42 Japanese Type 31 75 mm mountain guns, previously captured by Canarias and released.

Instead of the expected hostility and mistreatment, they were given medical assistance, and both the cruiser commander, future Francoist Admiral Salvador Moreno and Captain Manuel Calderón interceded with Franco when the Basque seamen were sentenced to death in retaliation for the shooting of two crewmembers of the armed trawler Virgen del Carmen, captured by Republican sympathizers and diverted to Bilbao in December 1936.