[COPYRIGHTED]

U. S. NAVAL INSTITUTE, ANNAPOLIS, MD.

A HALF CENTURY OF NAVAL ADMINISTRATION IN AMERICA, 1861-1911

By CHARLES OSCAR PAULLIN

ΧΙ

THE NAVY IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, 1898

The larger features and the more important dates of the Spansh-American War will be readily recalled. The first precaurary measures of the department were taken in January, 1898, in view of the critical condition of affairs then existing in Cuba. The blowing up of the Maine on February 15 was followed by the appointment of a board of inquiry, of which Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard was president. On March 9, Congress appropriated $50,000,000 for the national defence. From this time. April 25, when war was declared, the department was incesrly busy preparing for the coming struggle.

The two principal theaters of naval operations were the coast aba and Manila Bay. Since the operations in the Atlantic

were

chiefly within the West Indies, Key West assumed much portance as a naval base. In Asiatic waters there was a single Squadron under Rear Admiral George Dewey. Early in the war the vessels in the Atlantic comprised three fleets: the blockading Squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral W. T. Sampson; the Eying squadron, commanded by Commodore W. S. Schley; and the northern patrol squadron, commanded by Commodore J. A. Howell. Later, these three squadrons were united under the comand of Sampson. The principal events of the war were the destruction of Admiral Montojo's fleet by Commodore Dewey on May 1; the blockade of the Cuban coast throughout the war; the battle of Santiago on July 3, and the operations against Porto Rico in July and August. The ending of hostilities may be dated with the signing of the peace protocol on August 12, 1898. The work of buying ships was in charge of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Between March 16 and August 12 one

hundred and two vessels of all sorts were bought, at a cost $21,431,000. Before their purchase these vessels were thorough inspected by boards of naval officers in order to ascertain wheth they were fit for the navy. Many of them were inspected by t New York board, which was appointed on March 12, and which Captain Frederick Rodgers was president. The m expensive ships and the first to be bought were the New Orlea and Albany, two protected cruisers, constructed at Elswi England. The cost of the former was $1,429,000, and of 1 latter $1,205,000. They were purchased on March 16 from Brazilian government. The Albany, not being completed at 1 outbreak of hostilities, was in accordance with the laws of n trality retained in England until after the close of the war. 1 New Orleans rendered valuable service in Cuban waters. Τ gun-boat Topeka was purchased from the Thames Iron Wor in England; the torpedo boat Somers, from the Schichau I Works, of Elbing, Germany; and the torpedo boat Manly fr Mr. Charles R. Flint, of New York. The rest of the purcha vessels were merchantmen. Five large ships, the City of Pel St. Paul, St. Louis, New York and Paris were chartered. 1 government paid for the St. Paul a rental of $2500 a day. T yachts were loaned to the department without charge, and city of Philadelphia rented her ice-boat for the nominal sum of dollar. Fifteen revenue cutters, four lighthouses tenders, and t vessels of the Fish Commission were placed temporarily in cha of the department. Altogether 131 ships were added to the na in one way or another. The maximum fighting force of regular navy consisted of 73 vessels, and of the auxiliary navy 123 vessels. Of the 73 ships in the regular navy, 14 had longed to the old navy, including several old monitors wh had not seen service for many years. The strength of the fl for fighting purposes lay largely in seven ships: the first-cl battleships Indiana, Massachusetts, Oregon and Iowa, the seco class battleship Texas, and the two armored cruisers Brook and New York. These seven vessels, with the possible except: of the coast-defence monitors, comprised at this time our ent sea-going armored fleet.""

244

24 Ann. Rept. of Sec. of N., 1898, pp. 21-24; Long, New American Na I, 150-153.

Nearly five million dollars were expended in preparing the auxiliary vessels for service. The fitting out and repairing of the ips of the regular navy also entailed much work. These tasks tel chiefly to the Bureaus of Construction and Repair and Steam Engineering. Their shops at the five principal navy yards-New York, Norfolk, Mare Island, Boston and League Island-were ceedingly busy throughout the war. The force employed at these yards by the Bureau of Construction and Repair increased im 2200 men in January to more than 6000 men in the summer 18. Private shipyards also aided in repairing and converting

The purchased merchantmen were strengthened to bear de shock of gun-fire; unnecessary woodwork was taken out, ceries were installed, steam machinery was renewed or repaired, les of equipment were supplied, and the vessels were freshly acked and painted. Every available ship in ordinary was prered for service. Some of the old single-turreted monitors of ancient date were fitted with new boilers by cutting the old es into pieces and passing them out through the smoke-pipe renings and passing in the sections of the new in the same way. The ship Vulcan was made into a floating repair shop, carrying Forges, furnaces, machine tools, skilled mechanics and a large tit of stores, and proved to be exceedingly useful in making ars on the blockade. For the vessels operating in Cuban Key West was a most important repair station. Many eniences, however, were experienced here for want of machinery, shops and outfits of tools. The deliveries of articles at this point were slow and uncertain." Bureau of Equipment furnished the vessels with coal, fresh , rigging, canvas, galleys, boat supplies, anchors, chains, ad tackle, hawsers, cordage, binnacles, compasses, sextants, meters, charts, sails and hammocks. The number of yees of this bureau at the Boston yard, where many articles equipment were manufactured, was doubled. The number of arts issued by the Hydrographic Office increased six-fold. To the demand for new flags and signals, the force in the flagaking department at the New York yard was increased from Eve to eighty persons.

Among the most important tasks of the Bureau of Equipment as the supplying of the fleets with coal and fresh water. Before

*Ann. Rept. of Sec. of N., 1898, pp. 34-35, 40, 514-515, 611-614.

the outbreak of hostilities, this bureau endeavored to procu coaling stations in the West Indies, especially in the vicinity of th passages of the Antilles. Such attempts of course could not succe at so inopportune a time. Recognizing the importance of K West and the Dry Tortugas as bases of operations, the bure: early contracted for the installation of modern coaling plants these places, but they were not ready for use when the strugg ended. When the war began there was at Key West but one co shed, with a capacity of 3000 tons, and before additional provisi could be made, the war was well under way. Eventually, all t available space at Key West was covered with coal sheds. Th total capacity, however, was only 9000 tons, not sufficient to the bunkers of one of Sampson's largest vessels. Unfortunate owing to their large drafts, these vessels could not enter K West harbor or approach within six miles of the coaling wha and therefore had to be coaled from lighters or colliers.

Before the war commenced the Bureau of Equipment asked: obtained many offers to supply coal and to transport it to the W Indies. When the crucial moment came, all except one f refused to adhere to their proposals, owing to the supposed of transporting coal to the scene of hostilities. In desper straits, the bureau was compelled to purchase steamers, con them into colliers and provide them with crews and officers ta from the navy. The owners of suitable vessels, knowing necessities of the government, forced it to pay exorbitant pri Early in April six ships were purchased for $1,247,000, and t were rapidly fitted out and were dispatched to the fleet with goes of coal. When the first great emergency was pas additional colliers, mostly foreign vessels, were obtained at prices. Recovering from its fright, the private coaling fleet the Atlantic was employed in carrying coal to the shore stati At one time 40,000 tons of coal were afloat at Hampton Ro ready to sail at a moment's notice to any point desired. The 1 of colliers on the Atlantic belonging to the Navy Departmen the summer of 1898 consisted of fifteen vessels, with a t capacity of 50,000 tons. Two colliers were purchased on Pacific coast and sent with coal to Dewey's fleet at Mai During the entire war no ship suffered the slightest delay f want of coal.20

246

Ann. Rept. of Sec. of N., 1898, pp. 26-27, 270-271.