DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE 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 battleship
USS 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
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