major general wesley merritt commanded the forces that destroyed the spanish fleet in manila bay.
major general wesley merritt commanded the forces that destroyed the spanish fleet in manila bay.
who commanded the forces that destroyed the spanish fleet in manila bay?
major general wesley merritt
the bay was the setting for the battle of manila bay in 1898, in which american troops led by commodore george dewey seized the area. this battle showcased the united states' naval strength. all major spanish ships were destroyed and captured. with its proud historic past and abundant marine life, manila bay became the ocean portal and filipino epicenter for government, economy and industry. during the russo-japanese war at the close of the battle of tsushima in 1905, three surviving russian protected cruisers (the "aurora", "zhemchug", and "oleg)" managed to make port in then-united states-controlled manila for repairs. however, because the us was neutral in this conflict, the trio of warships and their crews remained interned by the u.s. until the war officially came to an end in september 1905. during the world war ii, corregidor island was annexed by the japanese forces based in manila bay. much earlier, various other battles were fought from this naval base, including the battles of la naval de manila in 1646, which finally ended dutch attempts to seize the philippines. the bay remains important for commerce and industry, including fishing, although rapid urban growth and industrialization are contributing to a decline in water quality and deteriorating marine habitats. it also serves a focus for recreation for metro manila and is a popular destination for walks and for viewing the sunset. much of the land fronting the bay along metro manila is reclaimed land which now includes important sites such as the philippine senate and the mall of asia.
manila bay
admiral montojo, a career spanish naval officer who had been dispatched rapidly to the philippines, was equipped with a variety of obsolete vessels. efforts to strengthen his position amounted to little. the strategy adopted by the spanish bureaucracy suggested they could not win a war and saw resistance as little more than a face-saving exercise. administration actions worked against the effort, sending explosives meant for naval mines to civilian construction companies while the spanish fleet in manila was seriously undermanned by inexperienced sailors who had not received any training for over a year. reinforcements promised from madrid resulted in only two poorly-armored scout cruisers being sent while at the same time the authorities transferred a squadron from the manila fleet under admiral pascual cervera to reinforce the caribbean. admiral montojo had originally wanted to confront the americans at subic bay, northwest of manila bay, but abandoned that idea when he learned the planned mines and coastal defensives were lacking and the cruiser started to leak. montojo compounded his difficulties by placing his ships outside the range of spanish coastal artillery (which might have evened the odds) and choosing a relatively shallow anchorage. his intent seems to have been to spare manila from bombardment and to allow any survivors of his fleet to swim to safety. the harbor was protected by six shore batteries and three forts whose fire during the battle proved to be ineffective. only fort san antonio abad had guns with enough range to reach the american fleet, but dewey never came within their range during the battle.
battle of manila bay