and rhe Army were mired in the co nfusion about rhe Army's mission, Cervera solved rhe problem. He arrempted to break our of Sanriago harbor and escape his posirion berween the hammer of Shafrer's troops and the anvil of Sampson's ships. Cervera' s das h to escape almost worked. However, the vastly superior firepower and overall performance of Sampso n's sh ips, incl uding the bardeships Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and Texas, as well as the cruisers New Yo rk and Brooklyn, prevailed. The Span ish squadron was totally eliminated. W ith naval control of the Ca ribbean, ground successes against the Spanish in C uba and Puerto Rico rapidly followed, and Spain sued for peace. On 10 D ecember 1898, in a rreaty signed in Paris, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, G uam and the Philippines to the US. C uba was nomi nally independent, but ve ry much under American influence. Parr of the afte rmath of the Barde of Santiago was a squabble berween acting Rear Admiral Schley, seco nd in command at Samiago, and his commander-in-chief, Rear Admiral Sampson, over who deserved
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primary credit for the victory. Another interesting sidelight on the event was that the Oregon had made a 14,700-mile transit from San Francisco to Key West in67 days, arriving on 24 May, in time to join the batde at Santiago. This feat did much to mitigate the questions about the viability ofbatdeships raised by the sinking ofMaine. Setting New Courses The Spanish-American War marked many firsts for rhe US Navy, including: the first major fleer acrions away from US shores; the first utilization of squadrons organized aro und steam-powered batdeships; the first wartime central planning gro up to determine strategy and tactics; the first use of immediate control ofnaval forces (with the telegraph) as instruments of national policy; and the first naval doctrine linked to global national aspirations. T he Navy's course was set towards additional history-shaping evem s, like rhe round-the-world transit of Roosevelt's "G reat White Fleet" in 1907. On a broader scale, there were firsts for the nation as well , including the first war involving territorial expansion beyond the
Captain 's Clock of solid oak, cherry a nd ma hogany. 3-year guar. on quartz movement. $45, ship'g incl. Also: Oldfas hioned ha ndmade dolls . Photos on request. Keeler & Olson Clocks 125 Hill St. , PO Box 6, Whitinsville MA 01588 Tel: 508-234-5081
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SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998
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NMH S AdvisorJoseph F. Callo is a freelance writer on naval, travel and business subjects and a rear admiral, USNR (Ret.).
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western hemisphere. One of the shortterm, historic developments that grew from this expanded global view was the opening of the Panama Canal in 191 4. As the full impact of the Spanish-American War began to come into focus , Rear Admiral A. S. Barker compressed the events and their importance: "An hour or rwo at Manila, an hour or rwo at Santiago, and rhe maps of the world were changed. " And when those new maps were drawn, America was on the way to becoming the world's preeminem eco nom ic and mi litary power, with the US Navy supporting those rolesat least through the 20th centu ry. Finally, there's one of the most important but least articulated lessons of the SpanishAmerican War: Spain lost because its naval strength was not adequate to its global requirements. That disqui eting lesso n starkly illuminates the relevance of the "little war" of 1898, and why it deserves serious attention on its lOOth anniversary. 1,
Massachusetts 1st U.S . Revenue Cutter
Pt1~ 31!2 Center Street (sh) Newburyport, MA 01950
$365.00 20" length x 15W' height
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