DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
901 M STREET SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Spanish-American War 1898
On the night of 15 February l898 the battleship USS Maine
was shattered by an explosion which sent the ship and two-thirds of her
crew to the bottom of Havana harbor. Bolstered by wide-spread sympathy for
those who were seeking Cuban independence from Spain's colonial rule, the
emotion-charged Maine tragedy forced the already strained Spanish-American
relations to the breaking point, precipitating a short war rapidly decided
by two naval engagements.
On 1 May the U.S. Pacific Squadron under Commodore George Dewey steamed
into Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, and destroyed the Spanish fleet. Two
months later, Admiral William Sampson repeated with an annihilating victory
over the Spanish in a running battle off Santiago, Cuba.
In addition to Sampson and Dewey's crushing victories, naval operations
included blockade of the Cuban coast, bombardment of Spanish fortifications
at San Juan, Puerto Rico by battleshipUSS Iowa., armored cruiser
USS New York and other ships, and gunfire support of Marine and Army
landings in Cuba and Puerto Rico. America emerged from the Spanish-American
War as a major naval power.
4 Bronze stars
1. Battle of Manila Bay (1 May 1898)
2. Pacific Ocean operation
3. Battle of Santiago (3 July 1898)
4. Atlantic/Caribbean operations
