Action of 13 June 1898
Action of 13 June 1898 | |||||||
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Part of the Spanish–American War | |||||||
USS Yankee, circa 1898 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Spain | United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Juan de Carranza | Willard Brownson | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3 gunboats[1] | 1 auxiliary cruiser[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
6 wounded 1 gunboat damaged[1] |
2 wounded 1 auxiliary cruiser damaged |
The action of 13 June 1898 was a minor naval engagement of the
Background
At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War Cienfuegos was a strategically important port due to its facilities and good communications with
Various engagements were fought near Cienfuegos during the war. On 29 April the American protected cruiser Marblehead and the auxiliary Eagle exchanged fire for half an hour with the Spanish small gunboats Satélite, Lince and Gaviota.[2] On 2 May the gunboat Alcedo and the small gunboats Almendores and Gaviota escorted several transport vessels to Casilda, delivering to the town more than 3,000 men and about 800 horses and mules.[2] A week later two small boats of Marblehead and the gunboat Nashville tried to cut telegraph cables linking Cienfuegos with Madrid. Two undersea cables were cut, but a third cable near the shore remained untouched. On 1 June a convoy of blockade runners and the transport María Cristina were successfully escorted into the port.[2]
Battle
On 13 June Teniente Carranza's Diego Velázquez was dispatched to inspect a steamer near the port thinking that it could be El Purísima Concepción, a blockade runner which was expected to arrive to Cienfuegos at that time.[1] Carranza took precautions in case the suspicious steamer proved to be an American warship.[1] Wooden objects were left ashore, and bags of coal were emplaced around the guns to protect their crews from the American fire.[1] The unknown steamer was USS Yankee, a 6,888-ton auxiliary cruiser under Commander Willard H. Brownson armed with 10 5-inch guns, 6 6-pound guns and two Colt machine guns. Yankee was carrying out blockade tasks off the port, and was in fact waiting for the arrival of El Purísima Concepción in order to intercept it.[5]
At about 1,400 meters range, the American ship put her helm over, unmasked her port battery, and opened fire.[5] Diego Velázquez opted for a running fight, presenting the smallest possible target and only allowing Yankee to bring one or two of her guns to bear without turning away from her target's course.[5] The Spanish gunboat was hit twice, receiving minor damage. A grenade entered through the starboard hawse and broke the retainers of the redbout, throwing up the parapet of coal.[6] Another grenade pierced the hull of the cone that served as a carriage for one of the guns.[6] Boatswain D. José Cacho Torres, cabo de mar de primera Eustaquio Bilbao, seamen Antonio Ferrer and José González, and gunners Francisco González and Ángel Bermudose were injured.[6] Diego Velázquez fired 193 shots, some of which hit Yankee inflicting some casualties and causing a small fire on board which forced the gunfire to be temporarily suspended.[1]
After 69 minutes of combat, Diego Velázquez reached Cienfuegos, where the wounded men were disembarked and reinforcements were requested to face Yankee, which was exchanging fire with the
Aftermath
The Action of 13 June 1898 was the last naval engagement fought near Cienfuegos.
Order of battle
Gunboats
- Diego Velázquez
- Lince
- Cometa
Auxiliary cruiser
References
Bibliography
- Donald H. Dyal, Brian B. Carpenter, Mark A. Thomas, Historical dictionary of the Spanish American War. Greenwood Publishing Group (1996). ISBN 0-313-28852-6
- Hermenegildo Franco Castañón, El combate naval del 3 de julio: Un desastre anunciado, in Cuad. Monogr. Inst. Hist. Cult. Nav. Inst. de Historia y Cultura Naval, Madrid (1998).
- Agustín Ramón Rodríguez González, Buques de la armada española a través de la fotografía, 1849–1900. Agualarga (2001). ISBN 84-95088-37-1
- Agustín Ramón Rodríguez González, Bloqueo y Combates en La Habana y Cienfuegos in Revista General de Marina, Vol. 255 (2008). ISSN 0034-9569
- David Solar, Una guerra por encima de las posibilidades españolas, in Historia y Comunicación Social, nº 3: La guerra del 98 y los medios de comunicación. Departamento de Historia de la Comunicación Social, Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1998). ISSN 1137-0734
- El Mundo Naval Ilustrado. Hijos de M. G. Hernández, Madrid, (15/08/1898). ISSN 9954-8585
- Yankee in Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Dept., Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division.