(Written in 1898.)
ON SUNDAY, April 24, when the war between the United States and Spain broke out, the United States Asiatic Squadron under command of Commodore George Dewey, lay at Hong Kong ready in every respect for sea.
This squadron consisted of the first class protected cruiser Olympia, of 5,870 tons displacement, flagship; the second class protected cruisers Baltimore, 4,500 tons; Raleigh, 3,200 tons; and Boston, 3,000 tons; the gunboats Concord, 1,700 tons; and Petrel, 890 tons; the revenue cutter Hugh McCulloch, 1,300 tons; and the transports Nanshan, 4,000 tons; and Zafiro, 2,000 tons.
The Baltimore had arrived from Honolulu on April 22 with a supply of ammunition for the other ships of the fleet and was docked and cleaned, and filled up with coal and stores with the greatest despatch; the McCulloch, while on a voyage from New York to San Francisco by way of China, had been turned over to the Navy Department by the Treasury Department when war became imminent; the Nanshan and Zafiro had been purchased from their English owners just prior to the war, their original English crews gladly remaining with them.
On the twenty-fourth the English governor of Hong Kong, in the interests of neutrality, requested our fleet to leave Hong Kong, as a state of war existed and we were avowedly fitting out for a hostile expedition against Manila. Our fleet accordingly moved thirty miles eastward to Mirs Bay in Chinese waters, from which communication was kept up by means of tugs with Hong Kong.
On the afternoon of the twenty-fifth Commodore Dewey received a cablegram from the Navy Department announcing that a state of war existed, and ordering him to proceed to the Philippine Islands and capture or destroy the Spanish fleet there.
According to the best information at that time the Spanish fleet in the Philippines consisted of the protected cruiser Reina Christina, 3,600 tons; the composite cruiser Castilla, 3,260 tons; and the gunboats Velasco, 1,150 tons; Don Juan de Austria, 1,159 tons; Don Antonio de Ulloa, 1,160 tons; the sister ships Isla de Cuba and Isla de Luzon, 1,045 tons; Elcano, 560 tons; General Leso, 520 tons; Marques del Duero, 500 tons; the sister ships Villalobos and Quiros, 324 tons; and twenty small river gunboats ranging from 50 to 200 tons, under command of Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron.
In addition it was reported that the channels leading into Manila Bay, the Boca Chica and the Boca Grande, were mined, and that batteries were mounted on Cor- regidor Island in the midchannel, and on the mainland north and south of the entrance.
All arrangements having been completed, at 2:00 p.m. on the twenty-seventh, the squadron weighed anchor and proceeded under easy steam, at nine knots speed toward Manila, 600 miles away.
Before leaving Hong Kong the ships had been painted a dull slate color from water line to main truck and the yards had all been unshipped except light signal yards. During the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth the ships were cleared for action. Awning stanchions and all deck hamper not necessary in battle were unshipped and sent below, and, following the lesson of the Yalu, all woodwork not absolutely necessary was thrown overboard. Gratings, skylights, tables, mess-benches, and in some of the ships, the wooden bulkheads in the officers’ quarters were unshipped and thrown over the side.
Drills were carried on night and day, and the engines and guns put in the best possible working trim.
Arriving off the coast of the Island of Luzon, eighty miles north of Manila, at daylight on the thirtieth, two of the ships of the squadron were sent ahead as scouts to reconnoiter the bays and inlets, but they found them deserted.
At sundown the commanding officers of all the ships of the squadron were ordered aboard the flagship and informed by the commodore that the fleet would enter Manila Bay by night with every light screened, and run the batteries there, taking the southern and larger channel, the Boca Grande.
At 7:30 P.M. the crews were called to quarters, the guns loaded, and with every man at his station, the squadron, steaming in column at 400 yards distance between vessels, at six knots speed, entered the Boca Grande in the following order: Olympia, Baltimore, Raleigh, Petrel, Concord, Boston, McCulloch, Zafiro, and Nanshan.
The moon was in the first quarter and the sky partially cloudy, while a low haze hung near the land, and it seemed certain to everyone on board that the lookouts at the forts and shore batteries would soon discover our ships.
Yet looking down the line from the leading vessels the following ships showed, even at that close distance, only in dim outline, and clearly proved the value of the so- called invisible war color.
At 11:30 a red rocket shot up from the crest of Corregidor Island, and the anxious watchers on the ships knew that we were discovered by the enemy, and everyone waited in silence for the first gun from the shore batteries, or the dull boom that would announce the explosion of a dreaded mine.
The long dark line of ships moved steadily on, but not until 12:15 a.m. did the first gun on shore speak, followed at long intervals by several more, the shells from all of which whistled harmlessly over us.
At 2:10 a.m., having successfully passed the entrance, the flagship stood for the center of the bay and signaled speed four knots, aiming to arrive off Manila at daylight. The fighting force followed in column, the reserve squadron, composed of the McCulloch, Nanshan, and Zafiro forming a second column on the port beam.
The gun crews sat down near their guns, but few slept, every man from the commodore to the Chinese steerage boys anxiously awaiting for the bugle call that would send them to battle quarters for the longed- for fight with the Spanish fleet. The only doubts were that the Spaniards might have given us the slip and scattered among the thousand islands of the Philippines, in which case it might have taken months to hunt them down.
At daybreak the city of Manila was visible about five miles off the starboard beam, and a few merchant sailing ships were anchored close in shore. The crews were called to battle quarters and silently fell in at their stations, and turning to starboard the squadron steamed along in front of Manila.
At 4:40 a.m. the Spanish fleet of ten vessels could be made out in an indented line between Sangley Point and the shore at Las Pinas. At 4:55 a.m. the shore batteries at Manila fired on us, but the shots fell far short and only the Raleigh and Concord replied.
The reserve squadron hauled off to the northward and lay to, awaiting the result of the battle.
At 5:05 the flagship signaled “Prepare for general action,” and the Stars and Stripes broke out from every masthead as the squadron of six ships stood straight for the Spanish fleet, keeping perfect distance at 400 yards between ships.
At 5:15 the enemy bore on the starboard bow distant about 6,000 yards, when the Spanish fleet opened fire supported by the shore batteries on Sangley Point, but their shots at first fell short by a thousand yards. At 5:30 our squadrons opened fire with thestarboard batteries and then turning to starboard, steamed slowly along in front of the enemy on a general westerly course, firing with the port batteries. The action then became general.
Our gunners soon got the range and fired with the coolness and deliberation of target practice, many of the shots striking home. The Spaniards’ gunnery was poor, their shots falling short or passing over us with that sharp “whirr” which once heard is never forgotten. From my station on the high forecastle of the Baltimore, the second ship in our column, I had a clear view of the battle, and by the aid of field glasses could see many of our shots strike the Spanish cruisers.
The Spanish ships maneuvered but little, the Castilla, Velasco, and Ulloa remaining at anchor throughout the engagement while the rest of the fleet moved in and out behind Cavite Point.
At 5 45 the flagship signaled “Close up, speed six knots,” and after passing them on the first run, our column turned to starboard and steamed back to the eastward, firing with the starboard batteries.
During this run past the enemy’s position his fire increased and his shots fell closer; one 4.7-inch armor piercing shell striking the Baltimore just abaft the after 6-inch gun, passing through the side and ripping up the spar deck for several feet. Deflecting slightly upward and passing through the after engine room hatch, it struck and disabled the port after 6-inch gun, denting one of the recoil cylinders, cutting a deep furrow on the inner side of the 2-inch gun shield and coming to rest on the deck without exploding.
Beneath where this shell struck the deck, the seven-inch steel deck beam was bent down three inches and nearly broken, and in its flight the shell struck a box of three pounder Hotchkiss ammunition, one of the cartridges of which exploded. The splinters wounded two officers and six men, and had the shell exploded many would have been killed.
Ensign Irwin, who commanded the gun division where this shell struck, was wounded by a flying splinter of steel and thrown to the deck. As he regained his feet the executive officer, noticing the extra noise and confusion and thinking some accident had occurred at the after 6-inch gun, sang out, “My God, what are you trying to do, Irwin?”
Saluting with his wounded right arm the ensign replied “Nothing, sir, that was just a Spanish shell that came aboard,” and turning to his gun rearranged the crew on account of the six wounded men and continued the fire against the enemy.
The injured gun on the opposite side was fired once as that side came into action on the next round, but owing to the dented recoil cylinder it would not return to battery, and had to be abandoned for the rest of the action. After the battle the gunner’s gang worked all night on the disabled gun and before the next morning had repaired it temporarily so that it could be fired with comparative safety.
A six-pounder Nordenfeldt shell passed through the Baltimore’s side about fifty feet from the bow and exploded in the berth deck without doing any damage.
One small projectile struck the forward turret of the Olympia but exploded without doing any damage; another shell passed over the forward bridge of the flagship where the commodore had taken his station, and cut one of the shrouds.
Turning to starboard the column again steamed to the westward, firing with the port batteries at 4,000 yards. At 6:18 the flagship signaled “Don’t turn so quick,” and at 6:50 smoke could be seen pouring out of the after hatches of the Spanish flagship Reina Christina while her fire visibly slackened. She had been struck by many of our shells, her steering gear was carried away, and she was afire in several places.
The Castilla was also on fire and the loss of life had been great on both of these ships, as our fire had been mostly concentrated on them on account of their large size.
During this run a six-pounder shell penetrated the Baltimore at the water line amidships exploding in a coal bunker, while another passed through the cowl head of the forward ventilator, and still another penetrated the side amidships and, striking a pipe on the berth deck, exploded without doing any damage to the crew.
At the end of the run to the westward the column turned to starboard and made its last run to the eastward, firing with the starboard battery. The small Spanish ships had sought cover behind Cavite Point, but the Reina Christina, Castilla, and Don Juan de Austria remained off the point and kept up a fire against us, while the Don Antonio de Ulloa fired from behind the low sand spit of Sangley Point.
Near the end of this run some of the small Spanish craft sought shelter behind the walls of Cavite, and an enthusiastic signal boy, probably without authority, signaled by a wig-wag flag from the after bridge of the Olympia, “Half whipped.”
Turning to starboard the column steamed for the third and last time to the westward, firing steadily with the port batteries. At 7:00 a.m. the flagship signaled “Close up,” as the column had straggled out a little, each ship being too intent on its own work.
At 7:35, as the enemy’s fire had almost ceased, our ammunition was rapidly disappearing, and our crews had been at their quarters for twelve hours, the commodore signaled to the fleet, “Withdraw from action,” and the squadron steamed out of range of the Spanish shore batteries and lay to, while the captains of all the ships hurried aboard the flagship in obedience to orders by signal and reported to the commodore.
One after another they reported the results of the action, their injuries, and the condition of their ammunition magazines. The commodore probably felt more anxiety on this subject of ammunition than on any other, for we were 7,000 miles from our nearest base of ammunition supply, while the total supply carried by a modern cruiser may be fired away in a few hours, and we might have other battles yet to fight before a fresh supply could reach us.
Having received satisfactory replies from all his captains on this vital point, nothing stood in the way of finishing the now crushed and demoralized enemy but breakfast, which was taken al fresco by the tired and hungry but happy and jubilant officers and men as they watched the smoke break into flames on the doomed Castilla and Reina Christina.
The damage to our fleet had been very slight. Besides the hits already noted, the Boston was struck four times, one shot passing through the steel foremast a few feet above the line of the bridge where Captain Wildes and his aides were standing; another penetrating the side abreast the wardroom, exploding and setting fire to the inflammable woodwork there, which was soon extinguished; the third striking the superstructure deck and exploding in the hammock nettings; while the fourth struck the side amidships abreast the berth deck. Two of the crew were slightly wounded by splinters. The Baltimore was the only other ship which had any wounded, two officers and six enlisted men, all wounded by splinters and all of whom have recovered without any serious consequences.
On the Baltimore one sailor with one of the small bones of his leg broken insisted on going back to his gun, after the doctor had dressed his leg, and finishing out the rest of the fight.
The loss on the Spanish side had been great, however, and their flagship, the Reina Christina, the Castilla, and one of the gunboats could be seen burning. At 9:00 a.m. a heavy explosion occurred on the Castilla, probably a magazine, followed by smaller explosions as the fire reached the charges for the guns on deck; and shortly after this she sank in shoal water still burning fiercely.
At 10:45 a.m. our squadron got underway to go in and finish the work. A steamer was sighted standing up the bay from the Boca Chica and the Baltimore was sent .to intercept her, but she proved to be the English mail steamer Esmeralda, and the flagship signaled “Engage shore batteries Baltimore leading.” The Baltimore then turned and stood in toward Cavite.
The batteries on Sangley Point and the Don Antonio de Ulloa behind the point opened fire, but the Baltimore answered with a perfect hail of shell at about 2,500 yards range, the rapidity of fire greatly exceeding that of the first engagement, and the batteries were silenced in thirty minutes, while the crew of the Ulloa deserted her, leaving the colors still flying, and she soon sank with only her forward upper works above the water.
Her flag was afterwards found nailed to its. staff and was secured by a boat’s crew from the Petrel.
The rest of the squadron came up in twenty minutes and after firing a few shots into Cavite arsenal, the five Spanish flags which were flying there were hauled down and the white flag was run up. The gunboat Petrel was ordered to go into Bacoor Bay back of Cavite Point and destroy the Spanish shipping there, and at 12:50 p.m. she signaled from inside the point, “A general surrender.”
The Spanish had scuttled their ships and deserted them, and sinking in shoal water only their upper works remained above the water line.
Under orders from the commodore, the Petrel’s crew set fire to the Spanish ships and most of the woodwork above the water burned, while the General Lezo was ruined by an explosion of a magazine.
The Spanish mail steamer Isla de Mindanao, which had arrived ten days earlier from Spain with large stores of ammunition, had been run aground by her crew between Las Pinas and Bacoor, and the Concord was sent tp examine her. She fired upon the Concord and was fired on in return by the Concord and Olympia. These shots set her on fire and, her crew deserting her, she burned during the day and night.
The armed transport Manila of 2,000 tons displacement was captured inside of Cavite Point, and officers and a crew from our fleet were put aboard of her. Though very dirty she was otherwise in excellent condition and with additional guns captured from the enemy mounted aboard, makes a valuable addition to our fleet. The small steamer Mindanao, which was undergoing repairs at the yard, was also captured in the bay. She is uninjured though some of her machinery is in the shops of the navy yard.
In the engagement the Spanish lost all the ships of their fleet, including the flagship Reina Christina; the cruisers Castilla, Don Antonio de Ulloa, Don Juan de Austria, Velasco, Isla de Cuba, and Isla de Luzon, the gunboats General Lezo, and Marques del Duero, and the armed Hydro- graphic Commission steamer Argos of 500 tons.
Of these the Reina Christina, the Castilla, and the Don Antonio de Ulloa are lying outside of the Bay of Bacoor, where they were sunk by our terrific fire. The remaining seven are sunk inside of Cavite Point with their upper works partially above water. The Reina Christina and Castilla are complete wrecks, and while they burned during the afternoon and night after the fight, frequent explosions occurred aboard them. The Castilla’s sides being of wood, she burned to the water’s edge.
A few feet of the sides of the Reina Christina show above the water, surmounted by a mass of twisted and blackened iron, deck beams, upper works, and davits, but even after all the woodwork has been burned the results of our fire can be seen in many places. The Ulloa sank with only her forward upper works out of the water, but in these parts of her forty hits have been counted.
All of the seven ships inside had been scuttled and deserted by their crews, and show evidences of our gunnery. The Don Juan de Austria showed fourteen hits in the part above the water; one of these had completely disabled her steering gear and must have rendered her unmanageable, as she had only a single screw. The Isla de Cuba and the Isla de Luzon are apparently but little injured and are to be raised, repaired, and put into the service of the United States.
A large number of small tugs and launches were captured and are being used as tenders by the ships of our fleet. Many of the guns on the Spanish ships are practically uninjured and some of them have been remounted on our ships and tenders, while the others will be sent to the United States.
As several white flags were flying in Manila on the afternoon of the first, the United States Consul to Manila, O. F. Williams, who had been with our squadron since April 27, opened communication with the Spanish governor general at Manila.
Under directions from the commodore the consul demanded the surrender of the Spanish ships in the Pasig River and the promise from the governor general that the batteries at Manila would not fire upon our squadron, and threatened that in case of any hostile move on the part of the Spanish, our squadron would destroy the city. The governor general declined to say whether there were any other gunboats near Manila, but promised not to fire on us as long as we refrained from attacking Manila.
On the night of the first the squadron anchored off Manila and Cavite, keeping an especially bright lookout for torpedo attacks. About 11:30 p.m. the commander at Cavite asked for terms, and on the second that place with the navy yard, arsenal, and forts situated there, were abandoned by their defenders. These forces, comprising in all about 2,500 officers and men, moved out toward Manila with their arms and what stores they could carry.
On the morning of the third a marine guard from the Baltimore landed, established sentry posts around the navy yard, and hoisted the Stars and Stripes, the first to be raised over captured territory in the Philippines.
The store houses, work shops, offices, and dwellings were commodious and well fitted. Large stores of material for the construction and repair of ships, engines, and guns were found, while the magazines held immense supplies of shell and powder for the guns of the fleet. In one building six Schwartzkopf-Whitehead torpedoes were found, and everywhere were to be seen evidences of the hasty preparations which must have followed the declaration of war.
The grounds are well laid out and the shady roadways are bordered with little plazas with fountains and shrubbery. Sweet smelling tropical flowers bloom amid the horrors of war and spread their perfume in the air, where it mingled with the sickening stench of the Spanish dead, whose comrades had left them unburied.
On the second of May the Raleigh and the Baltimore steamed down to the entrance of the bay and, entering the Boca Chica, demanded the surrender of the batteries there. The Spanish governor resident at Corregidor came on board and signed articles of capitulation, and the guns, fifteen in all, were afterward destroyed or disabled.
The Spanish officers said that many contact mines had been placed in the channel, and expressed great surprise that our ships had not been biown up, but we found none of them after steaming all over the channel.
With the exception of a few of the officers of high rank, none of the men who manned our squadron had ever been in action, and yet they stood to their guns during the action with all the coolness and courage of veterans, and the firing was done with the accuracy and precision of a target practice drill. All the guns worked without a hitch and the firing was rapid while passing the enemy’s position.
When in turning at the end of the runs the ships of the American squadron passed each other close aboard, the crews of the passing ships cheered with that ringing cheer which marks the Anglo-Saxon spirit, and presented a series of stirring incidents amid the roar of the battle.
The Spaniards also fought their guns with great courage and determination, although their gunnery was especially poor.
According to the report of the Spanish Admiral Montojo, he fought his ships until the Castilla was destroyed, the Reina Christina unmanageable and afire in many places and the Don Juan de Austria and one gunboat disabled, and then at 7:30 a.m., seeeing that further resistance would simply mean the sacrifice of his brave men, he transferred his flag to the Isla de Cuba and ordered the remaining ships to seek cover behind Cavite Point in Bacoor River.
On April 25 with the Reina Christina, the Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, Castilla, Marques del Duero, and transport Manila, Montojo had gone to Subig Bay intending to fight our squadron there, aided by the shore batteries which he supposed had been erected.
Finding that the batteries had not been erected, and learning from the Spanish consul at Hong Kong that the American squadron had sailed for Subig and Manila to fight the Spanish fleet, a council of war was held and it was decided to return to Manila Bay and await the attack in the shoal water off Sangley Point and Cavite, where the Castilla and Ulloa could fight at their moorings while the shore batteries could give additional support. Both the Castilla and Ulloa, on account of disabled machinery, were incapable of motion by their own power and were thus no more than floating batteries.
The naval experts of our squadron generally agree that considering all the difficulties with which Admiral Montojo had to contend, the disposition he made of his ships was the best to be expected. However, several of his smaller vessels were fitted with torpedo outfits and had these ships courageously steamed out to meet us within torpedo range they might have sunk one or more of our ships, although at the almost certain risk of the loss of their ships with all on board.
Our arrival at Subig at 3:00 p.m. on the thirtieth was telegraphed to Montojo at Manila and from then until our arrival off Cavite he was kept informed of our movements, and had his squadron as well prepared to meet us as lay in his power, so the many stories of a surprise are groundless.
But by most of the precedents of naval warfare, the Spanish admiral was justified in thinking, as he did, that we would first send out scouts to reconnoiter his position, so the boldness and decision with which Admiral Dewey took the entire American squadron in to the attack regardless of torpedoes and shore batteries must have been a surprise to the ever-cautious Spaniard.
Yet the Spanish fleet was ready for the battle and opened the fire upon us at long range some minutes before we saw fit to reply. What they expected to do will probably ever remain a mystery as Admiral Montojo says he knew they were certain to be defeated before the fight began, while many of his officers have said since the battle that they relied upon the support of the shore batteries to make up for our superior sea force and thought that the chances were equal for their ultimate victory.
The Spanish lost, according to their own account, 320 killed and nearly 300 wounded. Of these the Reina Christina lost 150 killed, including the captain, captain’s clerk, chief engineer, surgeon, and boatswain, and ninety wounded, including the executive officer.
The Castilla lost no killed, including the second engineer, and 160 wounded, including the captain and one lieutenant.
The Don Antonio lost sixteen killed and fifteen wounded, including the captain, paymaster, and surgeon.
The Don Juan de Austria lost fifteen killed, including one lieutenant, and thirty- five wounded, including the chief engineer and one lieutenant.
At one of the batteries on Sangley Point, composed of two Hontorio 6.2-inch rifles, six men were killed and four wounded.
The remaining killed and wounded were from the other ships and from the shore batteries and barracks. It is quite probable that many of the wounded went down with the sinking ships or were burned to death in the fierce fires, as most of the wounded were left on the Castilla and Reina Christina when those ships were hastily abandoned by their crews.
Many of the wounded were removed to the hospitals in the arsenal and the town of Cavite. Surgeons from our ships who visited these hospitals after the battle say that, although the Spanish surgeons had large stores of the very best material for dressing wounds, their surgery was very bad. In many cases of cut arteries, instead of tying them, they had used perchloride of iron and the dressings were also very poor. This could be accounted for in part by the great confusion incident to the crushing defeat and the large number of the wounded. After the evacuation of Cavite by the enemy, many of the wounded were taken to Manila on board one of our tenders under a flag of truce.
When our. force landed on the third the naval hospital at the Cavite arsenal presented a scene of the greatest confusion. The cots from which the wounded had been removed were covered with blood-soaked bandages, and surgical instruments and medicines were scattered about. Under the portico in the rear of the building eight of the Spanish dead had been laid out in a row. Some of these bodies were dressed in underclothing such as officers would wear; all were frightfully mangled, and decomposition had set in so that the stench was pronounced. They were buried in an unmarked grave by men from our ships.
It seems a remarkable fact that, although the Spanish had twenty-four hours between the battle and the evacuation, they had not buried their dead but left them on the ships and in the hospitals. The bodies on the sunken vessels were devoured by the sharks that infest these waters and the ones on shore were buried by us.
The accompanying tables show the principal data of the Spanish ships engaged, but though there is an apparent inferiority of their force as compared with ours, this was made up by the shore batteries which they had.
The small injury inflicted on our ships is attributed by our officers to the fact that the accurate fire of our large guns at long range demoralized the enemy before his smaller guns could be brought into action, as well as to the poor marksmanship of the Spanish gunners, which is directly traceable to the fact that they seldom have target practice.
It is particularly interesting to note the amount of ammunition fired by the ships of our squadron during the engagement. The reports show that the Olympia fired thirty- six 8-inch shell, 350 5-inch, 1,000 6-pounder, and 360 1-pounder; the Baltimore fired seventy-three 8-inch, 175 6-inch, 410 6-pounder, 169 3-pounder, and 692 1-pounder; the Boston, forty-eight 8-inch, 162 6- inch, 220 6-pounder, 256 3-pounder, and 420 1-pounder; the Raleigh, fifty-three 6- inch, 341 5-inch, 137 6-pounder, and 100 1-pounder; the Concord, 182 6-inch, and a proportionate amount of secondary battery ammunition; and the Petrel, eighty-three 6- inch and her proportion of small caliber shots.
According to the best information obtainable the weight of the ammunition fired was Olympia, 26,500 pounds; Baltimore, 35,750 pounds; Boston, 28,200 pounds; Raleigh, 22,350 pounds; Concord, 20,000 pounds, and Petrel, 10,000 pounds, a total of nearly seventy-two tons of steel, or about one-half of the total ammunition supply of the squadron.
Another point of interest to the student of naval affairs is illustrated by the fact that, although the ships of our squadron had never drilled in concert, all the evolutions under fire were performed with an accuracy and precision that would have done credit to a peace time drill.
THE SPANISH FLEET
Name | Date | Material | Dis place ment | I.H.P. | Pro pul sion | Speed in knots | Tor pedo tubes | Coal Supply | Total crew | Armament |
Reina Christina | 1886 | I | 3520 | 3970 | S.S. | 14 | 5 | Tons 670 | 370 | 6-H. 16 c.m., 3 nf. 57 m.m., 2 nf. 42 m.m., 2 H 7 c.m., 6 hs. 37 m.m., 2-11 m.m. |
Castilla | 1881 | W | 3260 | 2600 | S.S. | 13 | 2 | 417 | 350 | 4 K. 15 c.m., 2 K 12 c.m., 4 K 7.5 c.m. 4 nf. 42 m.m., 4 hs. 37 m.m., 2-11 m.m. |
Isla de Cuba | 1886 | S | 1045 | 2200 | T.S. | 14 | 3 | 200 | 160 | 4 H. 12 c.m., 1 hs. 57 m.m., 3 hs. 37 m.m., 2-11 m.m. |
Isla de Luzon | 1886 | S | 1045 | 2200 | T.S. | 14 | 3 | 200 | 160 | idem. |
Don Antonio de Ulloa | 1887 | I | 1160 | 15.23 | S.S. | 12.5 | 2 | 195 | 160 | 4 H 12 c.m., 2 H. 7 c.m., 1-11 m.m., 4 hs. 37 m.m., 2 nf. 42 m.m. |
Don Juan de Austria | 1887 | I | 1160 | 1500 | S.S. | 14.5 | 2 | 250 | 180 | idem |
Velasco | 1881 | I | 1152 | 1600 | S.S. | 15 | 2 | 220 | 150 | 3 A 15 c.m., 2 H 7 c.m., 2 nf. 25 m.m. |
Marques del Duero | 1875 | I | 500 | 550 | T.S. | 10 | 1 | 90 | 100 | 1 PI. 16 c.m., 2 Pr. 12 c.m., 1 nf. 11. m.m. |
General Lezo | 1883 | I | 520 | 600 | T.S. | 9.5 | 1 | 70 | 120 | 2 H. 12 c.m., 1 H.9. c.m., 2 nf. 25 m.m., 1 nf. 11 m.m. |
Argos | 1880 | I | 508 | — | S.S. | 8 | - | 135 | 90 | 1 H 7 c.m. |
Calloa Captured May 12 | 1888 | S | 205 | 250 | T.S. | 9.7 |
| 32 | 35 | 1-H. 9. c.m., 2 nf. 11 m.m., 1 nf. 25 m.m. |
Manila | 1883 | I | 2000 | 750 | S.S. | 9 | - | 204 | 85 | 2 IIK., 42 c.m. |
•Notes
In the column “Material”, steel is S., iron I., and wood VV.
In the column “Propulsion”, SS., is single screw, T.S. twin screw.
In the column “Armament,” H is for Hontorio breech loading rifles, K. for Krupp, hs., Hotchkiss, nf. Nordenfeldt, A., Armstrong, PI., Palliser, and Pr., Parrot. In each class the caliber is given in the metric measurement—c.m., centimeters, m.m., millimeters.
When we left Hong Kong the home date of our latest mail was March 27. At that time the slogan “Remember the Maine,” had not been invented and the warlike feelings of the crews of our ships on the Asiatic Station had not run toward that revengeful sentiment; so, although it contradicts every account of the battle I have yet seen in print, in the interests of truth it should be recorded that the signal, “Remember the Maine,” was never hoisted on the Olympia nor was it “shouted in a hoarse chorus by officers and men.”
The above account was written shortly after the battle and gives the impressions of a participant who served aboard the U.S.S. “Baltimore.” In order to give the impressions of those who viewed the battle from the shore the following translation of an article which appeared in a daily paper at Manila three days after the battle should be of especial interest.
THE NAVAL BATTLE OF CAVITE
From the Diario de Manila, May 4, 1898
A Naval Surprise
When the enemy’s squadron was sighted in perfect line of battle through the clouds of a misty dawn on the morning of the first of May, gloom and surprise were general among the people of Manila. At last these ships had strained their boldness to the point of appearing on our coast and defying our batteries, which showed more courage and valor than effect when they opened fire on the squadron. It needs something more than courage to make projectiles penetrate-—indeed it does!
Every Man to His Station
The inequality of our batteries when compared with those of the squadron which alarmed the inhabitants of Manila at five in the morning was enough to transform the tranquil character of our tropical temperaments.
While ladies and children in carriages or on foot fled in fright to seek refuge in the outlying suburbs and adjacent villages around the Capital, from danger multiplied by their imagination, every man from the stately personage to the most humble workman, merchants and mechanics, Spaniards and natives, soldiers and civilians, all we repeat, sought their stations and put on their arms confident that never should the enemy land in Manila unless he passed over their corpses. Yet from the first moment the strength of the enemy’s armor and the power of his guns demonstrated that his ships were invulnerable to our energies and armaments, the hostile squadron would never have entered our bay had not its surety been guaranteed by its manifest superiority.
Spectators and Observers
The city walls, the church towers, the roofs of high buildings, and all high places convenient for observation were occupied by those who were not retained by their military duties within the walls, on the bridges, or at the advanced posts. The slightest details of the enemy’s ships were eagerly noted as they advanced toward Cavite in a line parallel with the beaches of Manila, as though they had just come out of the Pasig River. There were no gaps in the line but the curious public hardly realized the disparity between their great guns and the pieces mounted on our fortifications. Some had glasses and others were without, but all seemed to devour with their eyes these strangers who, while brave, were not called upon to show their courage since the range of their guns and the weakness of our batteries enabled them to preserve their impunity while doing as much harm as they pleased.
Remarks of the People
All who appreciated the impunity with which the hostile ships maneuvered, as if on a harmless parade, were full of such rage and desperation as belongs to the brave man who can make no use of his courage; to whom remains no remedy except an honorable death rather than a cowardly inactivity.
A soldier of the first battalion of Cazadores gazed at the squadron sweeping over the waters out of reach of the fire of our batteries, looked out and at the ships then toward heaven, saying, “If Holy Mary would turn that sea into land the Yankees would find out how we can charge in double time.” And a crouching native staring out at the ships said, “Just let them come ashore and give us a whack at them.”
On they stood at full speed in column of battle heading for Cavite with the decision due to a sense of safety and a firm assurance of success.
The Fight Seen From Manila
For more than an hour and a half the bombardment held in suspense those whose souls followed the unequal struggle, in which the Spanish ships went down with their glorious banners flying.
What was going on in the waters of Cavite? From Manila we saw through glasses the two squadrons almost mingled together in the clouds of smoke. This was not far from a triumph for our side, considering the weakness of our batteries. For, once alongside the enemy, the cry of “Boarders away!” and the flash of cold steel might have enabled our devoted seamen to disturb the calm in which watches and instruments were regulated and directing those engines of destruction. In the blindness of our rage how should we paint the heroic deeds, the prowess, the waves of valor which burst forth from our men-of-war? Those who fought beneath the Spanish flag bore themselves like men, as chosen sons of our native land who never measure forces, nor yield to superior force in the hands of an enemy; who would rather die without ships than live in ships which have surrendered.
To name those who distinguished themselves in battle would require the publication of the entire muster rolls of our ships, from captain to cabin boy. To these victorious seamen of ours we offer congratulations ; laurels for the living; prayers for the dead; for all our deepest gratitude.
Since we cannot reconstruct the bloody scene which was exhibited last Sunday in the waters of Cavite, we will not attempt a description, which would only be a pale shadow of great deeds deserving a perpetual place in the pages of history.
When the hostile squadron turned toward Cavite, the crew of the steamer Isla de Mindanao heard the drums beating to quarters, and answered with enthusiasm, three rounds of cheers for the King, for the Queen, and for Spain, which echoed along our line.
Later, until a quarter to five, absolute silence reigned. Everything was ready. The idea of death was lost in ardor for the fray and every eye was fixed on the battle flags waving at our mastheads. In perfect and majestic order—why should we deny this? —the nine Yankee ships advanced in battle array. The Olimpia bearing the admiral’s flag, led the column followed by the other ships, steering at full speed toward Cavite. The Olympia opened fire and an instant reply came from the battery on the mole which kept on firing at five minute intervals, while the ironclad shaped her course for the Reina Christina and Castilla. Into both these ships she poured a steady and rapid fire seconded by the ships which followed in her wake. Another ship which directed a heavy fire on our line was the Baltimore and so the cannonade went on until a quarter to eight. At that moment ,the Don Juan de Austria advanced against the enemy intending to board the Olympia, and if a tremendous broadside had not stopped her self-devoted charge, both ships perhaps might have sunk to the bottom.
The captain of the Reina Christina, seeing that the resolute attempt of his consort had failed, advanced at full speed until withing 200 yards of the Olympia, aiming to attack her. Then a shower of projectiles swept the bridge and decks, filling the ship with dead and wounded.
Heroes and martyrs whom the nation will remember as long as it endures!
A dense column of smoke from the bow- compartment showed that an incendiary projectile, such as the law of God and man prohibits, had set fire to the cruiser. The ship, still keeping up her fire on the enemy, withdrew toward the arsenal, where she was sunk to keep her from falling into the hands of the Yankees.
The desperation of the men of the Reina Christina was aggravated by the sight of Castilla also in a blaze, from a similar use of incendiary projectiles.
The principal ships of our little squadron having thus been put out of action, the Yankee vessels, some of them badly crippled by the fire of our ships, and the batteries at Point Sangley, stood out toward Mariveles and the entrance of the bay, ceasing their fire and occupying themselves in repairing injuries until ten o’clock, when they began a second attack to complete their work of destruction.
In this second assault the fire at the arsenal was extinguished and they continued to cannonade the blazing gunboats.
One gunboat, which seemed to have nothing more venturesome to undertake, detached herself from the squadron and set to work to riddle the mail steamer Isla de Mindanao.
Now that the ships were in flames, the Admiral, Senor Montojo, who had shown his flag as long as there was a vessel afloat, landed, and hostilities ceased.
The only Spanish ship which had not been destroyed by fire or by the enemy’s projectiles, sunk herself so that she could in no wise be taken.
Such in broad outlines, which we cannot correct at this moment, was the naval battle of Cavite, in which the last glimpse of our squadron showed the Spanish flag.
A thousand sensational details have reached us, which we would reproduce gladly, after the necessary corrections, if our pen would serve for anything except to sing the glory of these martyrs of the nation.
Perhaps tomorrow or another day, with fuller knowledge of the facts, we can furnish our readers with many interesting details. Today we limit ourselves to a sketch of the grand picture which was unrolled before us on the first of May, begging our friends to excuse the defects which they may note.
The Killed and Wounded
Killed: The captain, chaplain, clerk, and boatswain of the Reina Christina.
Wounded: The captains of the Castilla and Don Antonio de Ulloa; the executive officer of the Reina Christina; a lieutenant of the Don Juan de Austria; the paymaster of the Ulloa; the second surgeon of the Christina; the surgeon of the Ulloa, and chief engineers of the Christina and Austria.
Vigilance
By naval authority the most careful watch was kept in the river as well as on the coast to secure the defense of the port.
Batteries
The gunners of the batteries defending Manila and Cavite showed the highest degree of energy and heroism. Everyone applauds the brave artillerymen who, by their calmness and skill, did all that was possible with the guns assigned to them, allowing for their deficiencies and imperfections.
The battery that did most harm to the enemy was the one on Point Sangley made up of Hontorio guns. From one of these guns came the shot which the Boston received, while four ships which had altogether sixty-five guns were pouring their fires on this battery to reduce it to silence. One gun having been crippled the other kept on playing, firing whenever damage could be done and avoiding waste of ammunition.
To one of its shots is attributed the hurt which turned the Baltimore from the fight. This gun must have greatly annoyed the Yankees to judge by the efforts they made to silence its fires, following it up until six gunners had been killed and four wounded.
On this account it is proposed to demand the bestowal of the laurel wreathed cross of San Fernando to the valiant gunners who served this battery.
The Luneta battery at Manila, which as- sailed the Yankee ships with much vigor, was the object of the enemy’s special attention as he stood past the fortifications of Manila, heading for Cavite.
Guns were also mounted at the entrance of the bay on Corregidor and Caballo Islands, on El Fraile rock, on the south shore at Point Restinga and at Mariveles, Punta Gorda and Point Lasisi on the north shore. The guns on Corregidor Island were of about 6-inch caliber; similar guns were mounted on the rock and on Point Restinga. The other batteries had guns of smaller caliber and short range.
Kind Treatment
The Spanish Club, ever earnest in remedying misfortune, gave liberal help to the refugees who survived from our ships of war.
Bread and Water
Doubtless the Civil Commission has arranged to secure supplies for the city, but it is certain since Sunday there has been great scarcity of everything, and speculators have got what prices they cared to ask for articles of prime necessity.
Already people are growing calmer and the shops are open, and it is to be expected that Manila will go on resuming her usual life and animation.
The Country Responds
The great masses of the rural population of the Philippines, as well as the leaders of the nation, have responded like loyal sons of Spain, sharing our pains and assisting in our labors.
Telegram
The Admiral, Senor Montojo, has received a telegram of congratulation from the Minister of Marine who, in his own name, and in the name of the Queen of Spain, felicitates the Navy of this Archipelago for gallant behavior on the day of Cavite. These are the terms of the telegram referred to: “Honor and glory to the Spanish fleet which fought so heroically in the bay.”
No Papers
After two days of silence, in which our paper failed to see the light by reason of exceptional circumstances occurring in Manila, and well known to all the public, we return to our regular issues trusting in the good will of our subscribers.
The details of the battle as viewed from the Spanish fleet may be gained from the following translation of an article which appeared in “El Imparcial,” a daily paper of Madrid, on July 22, 1898, giving extracts from the official report of Admiral Montojo, the commander-in-chief of the Spanish fleet daring the battle.
THE DISASTER OF CAVITE
Official Report
La Correspondencia has received from Manila an extract from the official report of the disaster of May 1, by Admiral Montojo. Its text reads as follows:
Departure for Subig
April 25 at 11 p.m., I left Manila Bay bound for the port of Subig with the squadron composed of the cruisers Reina Christina, Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, dispatch boat Marques del Duero, and the wooden cruiser Castilla, which could only be reckoned as a floating battery incapable of any movement or activity, principally on account of the bad condition of her hull.
The next morning on arrival at Subig I conferred with Captain Del Rio, who, while unable to tranquilize me in regard to the defensive works, assured me they would be completed with promptness.
Meanwhile the cruiser Castilla, after the short passage which she had made, was making much water through the bearings of the shaft and the after planking. Work was going on night and day to stop the leaks with cement, and the ship was finally made almost tight, but it was absolutely impossible to use her engine.
On the morning of the twenty-seventh I took out the ships to cover the entrance to the port of Subig. The Castilla lay off the northwest point of Isla Grande to defend the western channel with her fire, since the eastern channel had been closed by the hulls of the San Quentin and two old merchant vessels which had been sunk.
With the greatest disgust I then learned that the guns which ought to have been mounted on the island had not been installed after a delay of a month and a half, which surprised me as the land batteries installed by the Navy, overcoming many difficulties, under the intelligent direction of the Colonel of Marine Artillery, Senor Garces, and that of Lieutenant Benavente of the Navy, were ready to open fire twenty-four days after work had begun.
I was also disgusted with the lack of confidence shown in the small number of torpedoes which had been laid down.
The entrance being defended neither by torpedoes nor by batteries on the island, the squadron with its scanty means of action had to dread the attack of the American forces in twenty fathoms of water and therefore with almost a certainty that not only our ships would be destroyed but also that their crews could not be saved. The hope still remained that the Americans might not come to Subig and might give us time to make better preparations; but the next day I received from the Spanish Consul at Hong Kong the following telegram: “The enemy’s squadron left Mirs
Bay at two this afternoon, and according to confidential information will proceed to Subig to destroy our squadron and later will go on to Manila.”
This telegram showed that the enemy knew where my squadron was to be found and the defenceless state of the port of Subig.
The same day, April 28, I called a council of commanding officers, and all, except Del Rio, the commandant of the future arsenal, pronounced that the situation could not be sustained and that we ought to proceed to Manila Bay and accept battle there under less unfavorable conditions.
Return to Manila
The plan of placing our ships near the city of Manila was condemned because far from protecting the town they would provoke the enemy to bombard it, when it would infallibly have been destroyed given the weakness of its defenses. It was unanimously decided that we should take positions in Canacao Bay in as shoal water as possible in order to combine our fire with that of the batteries on Sangley Point and on board the Ulloa.
I immediately ordered Del Rio to concentrate his forces at the best strategic point of the arsenal and to make arrangements for burning the coal at the depot in time to prevent it falling in the enemy’s hands; I sent the Don Juan de Austria to Manila to collect as many lighters as possible filled with sand to serve as a protection for the water line of the Castilla while motionless against the enemy’s shells and torpedoes. At half past ten of the twenty-ninth, I left Subig with the vessels of my little squadron, the Castilla being towed by the transport Manila.
On the evening of the same day we anchored in Canacao Bay in twenty-six feet of water, and on the morning of the next, April 30, there were anchored in line of battle with springs on their cables, the Christina, Castilla, Don Juan de Austria, Ulloa, Luzon, Cuba, and Marques del Duero, while the transport Manila went into Bacoor Bay to join the Velasco and the Lezo which were under repairs.
At seven in the evening I received a telegram from Subig announcing that the enemy’s squadron had entered the harbor at three to reconnoiter, doubtless in search of our ships, and that it had left heading for Manila.
The mail steamer Isla de Mindanao came over from the bay and I advised her captain to try to save his ship by starting at once for Singapore, since the enemy could hardly reach the mouth of the bay before midnight. As he had no authority from the Trans- Atlantic Company he did not dare to do this and I then told him to anchor in shoal water as near Bacoor as possible.
At midnight the fire of guns was heard from Corregidor, and at two in the morning I received a telegram saying that the American ships had opened fire on the batteries at the entrance and had exchanged several rounds with them.
I notified the commandant of the arsenal, Senor Garcia Pena, so that he might be ready, and I ordered the guns to be loaded and all officers, seamen, and soldiers to go to their stations for battle, ready to receive the enemy.
The preceding covers all that happened between my departure for Subig and the arrival of the American squadron in Manila Bay.
All the ships had been painted dark gray and had been stripped of their yards, their light spars, and their boats, in order to avoid dangers due to shells and sparks; all the anchors had been buoyed in readiness for slipping the cables at a moment’s warning.
At four in the morning the signal was made to beat to general quarters; at a quarter to five the Austria signaled “The enemy’s squadron,” and a few minutes later they were seen from the deck in rather confused order; in a column parallel with our line and about 6,000 meters distant, the flagship Olympia leading the line, followed by the Baltimore, Raleigh, Boston, Concord, Helena, Petrel, and McCulloch, the transports Zafiro and Nanshan remaining outside the line.
The force of these ships (not counting the transports which did not take part in the fighting) amounted to 21,410 tons, 49,290 horsepower, 163 guns (many of them rapid fire), 1,750 men in their crews, and average speed seventeen knots.
The force of the five ships which were alone effective on our side amounted to 10,111 tons, 11,200 horsepower, seventy-six guns (very few rapid fire), 1,875 men in their crews, and twelve knots at full speed.
Fire from Shore Batteries
At five the Sangley Point battery opened fire and the first two shots fell short and to the left of the leading ship; no reply was made to these shots by the enemy whose principal objective was the squadron.
This battery had only two guns mounted; Ordonez guns of fifteen-centimeter caliber, of which only one could be fired in the direction of the hostile fleet.
In a few minutes one of the batteries of Manila opened fire and at a quarter past five the squadron also opened in obedience to signal, meeting an immediate response from the enemy, and the combat became general. Springs and cables were slipped and engines started ahead to avoid being surrounded by the enemy.
The Battle
The Americans kept up a most rapid fire and we saw ourselves assailed by innumerable projectiles; moreover, the three leading cruisers of the enemy’s line devoted themselves almost exclusively to firing on the Christina which bore my flag. Shortly after the beginning of the action a shell burst in the forecastle, disabling all the crews of the four rapid-fire guns and driving splinters from the foremast which wounded the helmsman, who was steering on the bridge, so that the wheel had to be taken by Lieutenant Don Jose Nunez who, with calmness worthy of the highest praise, continued to steer until the end of the action. Meanwhile, a shell burst in the orlop deck setting fire to the lockers of the crew who fortunately succeeded in putting out the fire.
The enemy reduced his distance from us, and, improving his aim, covered us with a hail of rapid-fire projectiles. About half past seven a shell completely destroyed the steam steerer; I ordered the hand wheel to be connected. The ship not being under control during this interval which was long, another shell exploded aft, putting nine men out of action. Another carried away the mizzen truck and gaff, bringing down the ensign and my flag, which were immediately replaced. Another shell burst in the wardroom, turned into a bloody hospital, and destroyed the wounded who were there under treatment; another burst in the after ammunition room, filled the compartments with smoke and prevented the coupling of the hand wheel. It being impossible to keep down the fire, this ammunition room had to be flooded when the cartridges were beginning to explode.
Amidships various rapid-fire projectiles of small caliber had pierced the funnels and a large shell had penetrated the superheater, putting out of action a gunner’s mate and twelve men who were serving the guns; another disabled the starboard bow gun, while the fire aft was increasing and the fire' forward was renewed by a shell which penetrated the side and burst in the orlop.
The broadside guns which we were fighting were not seriously injured, and kept up their fire, and a single gun captain, assisted by a petty officer, the only ones who remained unhurt, kept on firing the guns as they were loaded by seamen who had taken the place of the regular crews who were all disabled.
Destruction of Our Ships
The ship no longer being under control by the helm, and her sides, funnels, and spars being riddled by shot, and wrapped in the flames of two conflagrations; half her crew, including seven officers, disabled; I gave orders to sink the ship and abandon her, before the explosion of the magazines and shell rooms; making signal at the same time to the Cuba and Luzon to approach and pick up the rest of the crew; which service was performed by the boats of these ships, assisted by others from the Duero and the arsenal.
I quitted the Christina accompanied by my staff after removing the ensign, and, filled with profound grief, I hoisted my flag on board the cruiser Isla de Cuba. When many men had already been saved from the unfortunate ship, a shell killed her heroic captain, Don Luis Cadarso, who was directing the rescue of the crew.
The Ulloa, who also defended herself with tenacity, using the last pair of guns available, was sunk by the holes made along her water line by the enemy’s projectiles; her captain and more than half of her scanty crew, which was only large enough to serve the two guns mentioned above, were disabled.
The Castilla, which fought heroically, had all her guns put out of action except one on the poop which gallantly kept up the fire; riddled by shot and in flames from the enemy’s shells she was sunk and abandoned by her crew in good order under the able direction of her captain, Don Alonzo Morgado. The losses of this ship were twenty- three killed and eighty wounded.
The Austria with numerous injuries and considerable losses stood in to succor the Castilla.
The Luzon had three guns dismounted and some small injuries to her hull, the Duero had one engine crippled as well as her twelve-centimeter bow gun and one of her sponsons.
At eight o’clock in the morning, the enemy’s squadron having suspended its fire, I ordered our remaining ships to take positions in Bacoor Bay and to fight them to the last extremity, when they should be sunk rather than surrendered.
At half past ten the enemy returned forming a circle to destroy the arsenal and my remaining ships, and opening a horrible fire upon them, to which we replied with the few guns which we still had mounted.
The time having now arrived for the final resource of sinking the ships, this was effected, taking care to save the ensigns, distinguishing pennants, money in safes, small arms, breech plugs of the guns, and signal codes.
Afterwards I proceeded with my staff to the Convent of Santo Domingo at Cavite to have myself treated for a contused wound received in the left leg, and to telegraph a brief report of the battle, its preliminaries and its results.
The Admiral’s Judgment It remains only for me to state that all the captains, officers, engineers, warrant officers, gunner’s mates, seamen, and marines
have been rivals in sustaining with honor the reputation of the Navy on this melancholy occasion.
The weakness of the ships of which my little squadron was composed, the deficiency of men of all classes, especially of gunner’s mates and seamen gunners, the unfitness of some acting engineers, the great scarcity of rapid-fire guns, the triple force of the enemy, and the lack of all protection for most of my ships—all combined to render more cruel the sacrifice we made on the altars of our country to avert the horrors of a bombardment of the almost defenseless city of Manila, with the conviction that to measure our feeble forces with the much greater strength of the enemy must lead us to almost certain death and the destruction of all our ships.
Our losses, including those at the arsenal, amount to 381 disabled, including both killed and wounded.