Rear Admiral John Warson, aboard the flagship USS Dolphin. Merry wo uld later rake credit for planning the raid in his after-action reports. In his own reports, Newcomb rook no credit; however, accounts later w ritten by Hudson crewmembers idenrify Newcomb as the battle's tactician and planner. On Wednesday, 11 May, the day after Merry pitched the plan to Warson, the torpedo boat USS Winslow, in company with the gunboats USS Machias and USS Wilmington, appeared outside Cardenas Bay to assist with Newcomb's plan. The Machias drew too much water to emer the bay and participate in the attack on Cardenas. Instead, she laid down a barrage of gunfire aimed at the barrier islands to eliminate enemy snipers from the bay's entrance. Between noon and 1:00PM, Hudson, Wilmington, and Winslow steamed slowly through the narrow passage. Wilmington 's captain, Commander
Coleman Todd, sent Hudson in search of rhe Spanish gunboats on the east side of rhe bay and ordered Winslow to search rhe west side. Later, Winslow and Wilmington mer about 3,500 yards offshore from rhe porr of Cardenas, where Commander Todd spied rhe enemy gunboats moored along rhe city's warerfrom. Todd directed Winslow's commanding officer, Lr. John Baptiste Bernadou, to investigate rhe situation with his torpedo boar. Fifth of rhe Foote class of swift torpedo boars, Winslow seemed ideally suited to capture or destroy rhe Spanish gunboats. The torpedo boat carried one-pound rapidfire guns and torpedoes, yet drew only five feet. Winslow also carried a crew of rwemy enlisted men and two officers, including Ensign Worth Bagley, executive officer and member of a distinguished North Carolina military fam ily rhat included brother-in-law Josephus Daniels, fut ure secretary of the Navy.
The original plan of arrack fell apart after rhe fighting began. Bernadou backed the Winslow's stern towards Cardenas, likely to minimize exposure to the enemy while making use of rhe stern-moumed torpedo and allow for a fast exit strategy. As soon as Winslow came within 1,500 yards of rhe city's wharves, Bernadou found himself lined up between white range buoys Spanish artillerymen had deployed to aim their guns. Enemy gunners opened fire with the moored gunboats' one-pound guns and salvoes fired from heavier artillery hidden along Cardenas's waterfront. After witnessing the initial salvoes, Newcomb steamed at top speed from the eastern side of the bay and requested permission from Comm ander Todd to engage the enemy. By 2:00rM, the Spanish gunboats and artillery had engaged the three American warships: Winslow, with her one-pounders; Hudson, with her sixpounders; and the distant Wilmington, with
With Newcomb barking orders from the bridge, Hudson provides covering fire as it makes its approach to the disabled torpedo boat, USS Winslow. Hudson's guns fired 135 shells during the battle with Spanish batteries. (Painting by Austin Dwyer, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches.)
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SEA HISTORY 15 7, WINTER20 16- 17