Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, Commander, North Atlantic Fleet, to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long
TELEGRAM
Playa del Este, [Cuba] July 17, 1898.
Flagship “New York,” off Santiago de Cuba, 17. My telegram does not say that these vessels cannot make voyage to Gibraltar and back.1 What is meant is that they must be ready to meet all emergencies and this they are not in condition to do. They must be able to overtake enemy, to avoid superior force, or to fight. Are not equal in their present condition to the service which would be expected of vessels of their class. This does not apply to the “Oregon” and the “Massachusetts,” which are ready to sail.
SAMPSON.
Source Note: Cy, DNA, RG 80, Entry 194, vol. 1, pp. 286-87. Address before opening: “Secretary of Navy,/Washington.”
Footnote 1: See: Sampson to Long, 14 July 1898; and Long to Sampson, 15 July 1898.
