The Battle of Manila Bay Questions and Answers

The Battle of Manila Bay Questions and Answers Due to his great leadership and his fleet, George Dewey had won against the Spanish Naval fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay. Triumph George Dewey was a United States naval officer remembered for his victory at Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War, U.S. naval commander who led the American attack on the Philippines After the war, America gained possession of the Philippines. Triumph The Philippines were bought over for $20 million dollars and U.S. citizens started to occupy the country. Previous Play Next Rewind 10 seconds Move forward 10 seconds Unmute 0:02 / 0:15 Full screen Brainpower Read More Battle of Manila Bay (1898) was fought against Spain and won. Triumph/tragedy The first major naval battle near the coast of Luzon, one of the main Philippine Islands. It was against the Spanish Pacific Squadron and the American Asiatic Squadron. The Spanish was defeated and America had won the war successfully. The Spanish knew they didn't stand a chance against the U.S.' fleet and their modern war ships. Triumph (for the U.S.)/Tragedy (for Spain) The Spanish surrendered to the U.S. Naval fleet a little after 2 hours of battle. Because America had gained the Philippines as a territory, the Philippines fought back because they wanted freedom. This caused the Philippine Anerican War. Connection to today Once America gained control of the Philippines, Philippine insurgents quickly turned their weapons against their new occupiers. Spain had lost most of its government and a few of its countries after they had lost the Spanish-American War. Tragedy (for Spain)/Triumph (for the U.S.) Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the U.S. and Cuba was gained as a U.S. pectorate. This was gained after the Treaty of Paris (1898) was signed. The battle was begun due to an explosion of a U.S. naval ship. Even though there wasn't much evidence as of who did it, the U.S. suspected Spain. Background The Battle of Manila Bay was started due to the exploding of a naval ship near the coast of Havana harbor. Once war was declared, the U.S. troops sailed off to the Philippines to battle against a Spanish troop. Background April 25th, 1898, Congress had officially declared war against Spain. Dewey and his squadron had sailed to Luzon 5 days after. Because of their more primitive fleets, the Spanish did not stand that much of a chance against the U.S. Background/connection to today Admiral Patricio Montojo was outgunned and out-armored by the more modernized U.S. fleet. America's victory over Spain gained it the reputation as a major naval power. Triumph The Battle of Manila Bay marked an important historic event for America as it established the high reputation of the U.S.' naval power. Instead of setting his defenses on water, Admiral Montojo set everything up on land. He had his soldiers fire from on shore or on shallow waters. Background Montojo's fleet was outdated compared to the U.S. fleet. Knowing this, he took shelter inshore and used land batteries as his line of defense. After the war, the Spanish fleet suffered many losses ranging from their men to their ships. Tragedy (on the Spanish side) On the Spanish side, the war resulted in all 7 warships lost, and over 300 soldiers dead or wounded. In just 2 hours, the U.S. had already defeated most of the Spanish fleet easily. Triumph (for the U.S.) Dewey and his squadron fired at their enemy for about 2 hours, until they took a break at 7 in the morning, fearful that their ammunition was running low. During these two hours, the Spanish fleet had decreased drastically, either surrendering to the U.S. or being destroyed. Refusing to surrender at first, the Spanish fleet continued to battle. They were cornered, outnumbered, outgunned, and it wasn't until half past noon that they had surrendered to the American forces. This marked a victory for the U.S. Triumph (for the U.S.)/Tragedy (for Spain) Although, most of his warships were practically decimated, Admiral Montojo did not surrender. His remaining ships went back and forth with the American fleet until they could no longer do so. That very morning, Admiral Montojo and his fleet surrendered to the U.S.