May 1, 1898 · Philippines Theater
May 1, 1898
In the predawn hours of May 1, 1898, Commodore George Dewey led the Asiatic Squadron of six warships into Manila Bay in the Philippines and proceeded to systematically destroy the Spanish Pacific Fleet. Dewey's modern steel warships faced an outmatched Spanish fleet of wooden and obsolete vessels under Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo. Dewey famously told his flagship captain, 'You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,' and within hours the entire Spanish fleet of ten ships was sunk, beached, or burning. The Americans suffered only nine wounded — not a single man killed in combat.
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