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Spanish-American War:
"A splendid little war."
-- Secretary of State John Hay to Pres. Theodore Roosevelt
For nearly two decades after the Civil War, the Navy looked as it did before the war. But, in a few short years, the United States Navy rapidly modernized. Out of the doldrums, the Navy of 1896 consisted of modern ships armed with modern guns. The Navy would dominate the Spanish in two separate battles, win a world-spanning empire of the United States, and the support of the public and the government.
1898
Remember the Maine:
In the late 1800s, Cuban rebels, following the example of American revolutionaries a hundred years earlier, sought their independence from Spain. American sympathies with the rebels created conflict between the Spanish and American governments, tensions only heightened by sensationalist journalism.
A more moderate Spanish government seemed to ease the tensions. But, in February 1898, the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, killing 253 men. Although the Spanish government tried to appease America, Congress declared in April that a state of war existed.
Maine was refloated in Havana Harbor in February 1912. After investigations were conducted trying to determine the cause of her destruction, the ship was towed to sea and sunk with military honors.
Among the lost in the explosion of the Maine were two Naval Academy graduates, Darwin R. Merritt, USNA, 1895 and Friend W. Jenkins, USNA 1886. Merritt's Naval Academy ring was recovered from the wreck and is displayed in the ring collection here in the Museum.
Charles D. Sigsbee (1845-1923):
A veteran of the Civil War, Captain Sigsbee received command of Maine in 1897. He was at his desk writing a letter to his wife when the explosion occurred. He rushed on deck and helped organize damage-control efforts. After being cleared by a court of inquiry, Sigsbee was given command of the auxiliary cruiser St. Paul, and took part in the Battle of Santiago.
Following the war, Sigsbee commanded the squadron that returned the remains of John Paul Jones from France to the Naval Academy.
Two Battles, Two Victories:
The explosion on board the USS Maine initiated a war with Spain, highlighted by two naval battles a half-world apart. In both battles, vastly superior United States Navy squadrons destroyed outmatched opponents who nevertheless fought with bravery and determination. In Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, and off Santiago de Cuba the Spanish navy fought to retain the remnants of the [country's] once-great empire. With the end of the war, the United States joined the ranks of the world's powers, and faced the responsibilities of governing far-off territories.
Battle of Manilla Bay -- May 1, 1898:
The first major event of the war took place in the Pacific archipelago of the Philippines. Although half a world away from Cuba, Filipinos were also fighting for independence from their Spanish colonizers.
It was still dark with Commo George Dewey entered Manila Bay with a fleet of modern warships. The bay was considered impregnable, guarded by gun batteries and mines. However, the Spanish ships, anchored in a line, only comprised one new and one obsolete cruiser and five gunboats -- an outmatched force to defend a crumbling empire.
At 5:41am, Dewey issued his famous order to Charles Gridley, Olympia's commanding officer. The flagship opened fire, quickly followed by the remainder of the ships. For nearly two hours, the American ships poured a devastating barrage on the Spaniards. By noon, the battle was over -- the Spanish ships lay burned, sunk, or abandoned.
Battle of Santiago -- July 1898:
While Dewey fought a Spanish fleet in the Pacific, Spain's Atlantic fleet, commanded by Vice Adm Pascual Cervera y Topete, managed to evade two American naval squadrons and tool shelter in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. The guns of the harbor protected the anchored Spanish ships.
Cervera was forced to venture out of the harbor when US Army and Cuban troops threatened the town of Santiago. They encountered a vastly superior navy, making Spanish defeat almost inevitable.
Charles V. Gridley (1844-1898):
During the Civil War, Gridley fought with distinction at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Promoted to lieutenant in 1867 and then commander in 1882, Gridley served on various stations and taught at the Naval Academy before the Spanish-American War.
Named commander of Dewey's flagship Olympia, he reported on board only days before the Battle of Manila. Although in poor health, he insisted on remaining at his job until after the battle. A few days later, he was relieved to return home. He never made it: Captain Gridley died in Kobe, Japan on May 24, 1898.
Winfield S. Schley (1839-1911):
Prior to the Spanish-American War, Schley distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay and on the Mississippi River during the Civil War. He also led an expedition to rescue the survivors of Adolphus Greely's 1884 expedition to the Arctic.
He was promoted to commodore in February 1898, and placed in command of the Flying Squadron upon the outbreak of war with Spain. Having reached the rank of rear admiral, Schley retired from the Navy in 1901.
USS Oregon (BB-3):
The battleship Oregon was completing a fitting out in Puget Sound Navy Yard when the Maine exploded. Oregon immediately sailed for San Francisco to load ammunition and then headed for Cuba on March 19, 1898. Sixty-six days and 15,000 miles later, she reported ready for duty in time to take part in the Battle of Santiago. The long cruise demonstrated the need for an isthmian canal between North and South America.
Commissioned in 1896, she served actively until 1924. Except for service in the Caribbean during the Spanish-American War, Oregon spent her entire life in the Pacific.
William T. Sampson (1840-1902):
Three years after graduating first in his class at the Academy, Sampson became executive officers in the monitor Patapsco. He was one of the few survivors when the monitor struck a mine. He went onto serve many important positions within the Navy and at the Naval Academy, including Superintendent.
On March 26, 1898, Sampson assumed command of the North Atlantic Squadron, making him in charge of the United States Naval forces blockading Cervera in Santiago. His approach to the blockade was efficient and effective, driving out Cervera and then swiftly defeating the Spanish forces.
Pascual Cervera y Topete (1839-1909):
Educated at the Spanish naval academy at San Fernando, Cervera had a long and distinguished career. He championed improvements in the Spanish navy, resigning in anger when politicians overturned some of his reforms. It took the intervention of Queen Regent herself to convince Cervera to rejoin after war with the United States loomed.
After Santiago, Cervera was held as a prisoner-of-war at the Naval Academy. After the war, he returned home. The Spanish people viewed Cervara's loss at Santiago as a result of political mismanagement and considered the naval veteran a war hero. He went on to become a senator.
A Popular Navy:
The decisive American naval victories of the Spanish-American War propelled the United States Navy into new popularity at home. George Dewey was the focus of popular attention, but all of the participants in the naval battles shared in the adulation. Songs were written, commemorative coins and spoons proliferated, and a number of officers received the thanks of their hometowns. The Navy was the darling of the Nation.
Since all of the war's leaders were Naval Academy graduates, the Academy would also benefit. Congress gave more support to the Navy and to the institution that trained its officers.
America's New Empire:
The war with Spain made the United States an imperial power with territorial holdings. Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam were acquired as a result of the conflict, and Hawaii was occupied.
As the United States was settling into its new role, there were ominous signs on the horizons, east and west. England and Germany initiated a competition to see which could build the biggest navies. And Japan, newly emergent after centuries of isolation, succumbed to its own desire for territorial acquisition. |