Online Library of Selected Images
EVENTS - Spanish-American War

Before dawn on 1 May 1898, Commodore George Dewey's flagship Olympia led seven U.S. Navy cruisers and gunboats into Manila Bay. By 8 AM that morning Dewey's Asiatic Squadron had located and destroyed virtually the entire Spanish naval force in the Philippines. Damage to the American ships was negligible, and their crews suffered no fatalities and few injuries.

The Battle of Manila Bay was a singular demonstration of the daring and decisive application of sea power. In a few hours, Dewey had eliminated any threat that the Spanish Navy might pose to U.S. Far Eastern commerce and placed Spain's centuries-long rule of the Philippines in grave jeopardy. A few days later, with the capture of Cavite arsenal, he also gained a repair and refueling base, essential for maintaining his squadron under wartime conditions thousands of miles from home.

This page features a selection of images concerning the Battle of Manila Bay. Other views on the subject will be found on the following pages:

• Additional views of the Battle of Manila Bay
• Wrecked Spanish ships, after the battle
• Battle of Manila Bay personalities
• Cavite Arsenal, after the battle
• Monuments and momentos of the battle
• Documents from the battle

Click photograph for a larger image.

Photo #: NH 71839-KN (Color) Battle of Manila Bay, 1 May 1898 Colored print after a painting by J.G. Tyler, copyright 1898 by P.F. Collier. Ships depicted in left side of print are (l-r): Spanish Warships Don Juan de Ulloa, Castilla, and Reina Cristina. Those in right side are (l-r): USS Boston, USS Baltimore and USS Olympia. Collections of the Navy Department, purchased from Lawrence Lane, 1970. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 83,811 bytes; 1000 x 400 pixels
Photo #: NH 91881-KN (Color) Battle of Manila Bay, 1 May 1898 Contemporary colored print, showing USS Olympia in the left foreground, leading the U.S. Asiatic Squadron in destroying the Spanish fleet off Cavite. A vignette portrait of Rear Admiral George Dewey is featured in the lower left. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 101,147 bytes; 740 x 695 pixels
Photo #: NR&L(O) 18336 Battle of Manila Bay, 1 May 1898. Contemporary photograph of a painting by Hong Kong artist Pun Woo, showing USS Olympia in the foreground, leading the U.S. Asiatic Squadron during the battle. The original painting appears to have been copied from an engraving published in Harpers' Pictorial History of the War with Spain. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 64,381 bytes; 740 x 520 pixels
Photo #: NH 1269 Battle of Manila Bay, 1 May 1898. Halftone reproduction of an artwork by J.D. Gleason, circa 1898, depicting the action as seen from alongside the forward 8" gun turret of USS Olympia. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 65,671 bytes; 740 x 520 pixels
Photo #: NH 84510-KN (Color) "Admiral Dewey at the Battle of Manila" Contemporary colored print depicting Commodore George Dewey on the bridge of his flagship, USS Olympia, during the Battle of Manila Bay, 1 May 1898. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Collection of C.J. Dutreaux. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 86,441 bytes; 525 x 780 pixels
Photo #: NH 101344 Battle of Manila Bay, 1 May 1898 Wreck of the Spanish cruiser Castilla off Cavite, shortly after the battle. In the background are (left-to-right): USS Olympia, USS Baltimore, USS Raleigh and two merchant ships. Copied from the USS Baltimore album, Lot S-519, page 27. U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command Photograph Online Image: 41,393 bytes; 740 x 470 pixels

For higher resolution images see: Obtaining Photographic Reproductions