Admiral Dewey Pops a Cap?

[Batstiger]

Two pictures of the Immortalite, the second when she was modified.
One pic of the Captain and officers taken in Hong Kong 1896.
Captain Chichester and Commander Luscombe.
The second group was taken in 1875.

Bob.

[victoriannavyfan]

As the anniversary of the Battle of Manila Bay is coming up, I thought I would put this out as a thank you to our British friends. In 1898, Admiral Dewey, with a small squadron, virtually annihilated a larger Spanish squadron.
After the battle, several countries sent warships to look after their citizens and interests (S.O.P. back then). The Germans, however, sent the bulk of their East Asia Cruiser squadron, and Dewey found himself outgunned and outtonned by the larger German ships. Reinforcements for him were months away. The Germans, some of which sailed into Manila Bay in the dead of night, cruised around like they owned the place, which is just what they were considering. Dewey tried to turn the other cheek, but the provocations just continued to the point where he had to order shots put across the bow of a German cruiser that refused to acknowledge signals to stop. When the Germans sent an officer over to complain about this, Dewey listened with rising temper until he interrupted and asked the officer if his Admiral was aware that it was he (Dewey) and not the Germans who were the occupying force there. And then Dewey, with voice raised, inquired if the Germans were seeking war. To which the German officer replied "Certainly not" (which was not quite true, as the Germans were toying with that very idea in the hopes of getting some or all of the Philippines). Dewey's last remark was the it certainly appeared to him as if the Germans were trying to provoke a war, and, if such be the case "All right then, we are ready". The tirade took some of the air out of the German provocations, but they did not stop. Also in Manila Bay at this time were several British warships, led by HMS Immortalite. Just before the American squadron bombarded the forts around the city of Manila, the British ships weighed anchor and positioned themselves between the Americans and the other foreign warships. The unstated implication was that Great Britain would not condone any belligerant actions against the Americans. I have read opinions pro and con that this was just a myth, but given the German provocations prior to this event, and the fact that the Germans left soon after empty handed, I believe that whether it was intended or not, HMS Narcissus possibly averted a German-American War in 1898.
One other interesting fact I just discovered : aboard one of the German cruisers was a young officer named Erich Raeder, who took advantage of the time in Manila to learn a little Spanish.

[patroclus]

Without wishing to seem pedantic, the Spanish squadron was very much inferior in size of ships and armament to the USN squadron at Manila Bay. The USN broadside weight of metal was three times that of the Spanish.

The movement of the British squadron to a position between the German and US squadrons during the bombardment of Manila may have reflected the wish of the SBNO, Captain Chichester, to protect Dewey's back but perhaps a more prosaic reason, the desire to obtain a better view of the bombardment, is the more likely explanation. His two cruisers were certainly not cleared for action.

[Don Boyer]

The good CPT Chichester was supportive of Dewey in Hong Kong, and also at Manila Bay. Sources I have state that there really wasn't any firing of shots across bows...Dewey's conversation with the German representatives made his position clear. Of course it was a partial bluff -- Deweys' fleet of ships didn't have full loads of ammunition before the battle so they would have been a bit conservative after the battle if the need arose. German posturing didn't impress anyone. One notes as soon as the two monitors arrived in Manila, German ships suddenly found reasons to be in Tsingtao.

As to Chichester's ships being cleared for action, it wouldn't have been necessary -- the Germans weren't either. When we put a fully loaded CVN in the Med, we don't have to launch a single aircraft to get a message across. One of the nice things about navies...they sort of work diplomatic magic just by being in the general area.

[victoriannavyfan]

The German ship that had shots fired across her bows was SMS Kormoran, in Dewey's words "an old offender", as she had a knack for going where she wasn't supposed to go and ignoring signals. Dewey ordered the Coast Guard cutter USS McCulloch to put a shot across her bows, after which she immediately hove to. My sources (The Spanish War by GJA O'Toole and online) do not give a specific date, but the incident brought about the confrontation between Dewey and the German staff officer. Dewey had been concerned about German intentions as soon as their ships began arriving. Why send a large squadron of ships (including a troop transport with troops aboard) to protect a single import-export house ? The German charge d'affairs for the area had sent a memo to Berlin stating that in his belief, the Spanish locals and natives would much prefer to be a German colony rather than an American one (the Germans certainly were efficient colonial administrators and they feared that once the Americans took over they would grant Philippine independence and the natives would be turned loose to seek revenge on the Spaniards. The Kaiser, upon reading this memo, scribbled enthusiastic "Ja's" in the margins and dispatched his warships. As to whether or not the Germans were actively pursuing war, I believe that they were at the very least trying to intimidate the Americans in the hopes of getting some colonial crumbs. Why send such a large force otherwise ?

[patroclus]

The German ship that had shots fired across her bows was SMS Kormoran, in Dewey's words "an old offender", as she had a knack for going where she wasn't supposed to go and ignoring signals. Dewey ordered the Coast Guard cutter USS McCulloch to put a shot across her bows, after which she immediately hove to. My sources (The Spanish War by GJA O'Toole and online) do not give a specific date, but the incident brought about the confrontation between Dewey and the German staff officer...........

I have not made a study of the Spanish-American War but I find it surprising that a ship of the USN would fire a shot accross the bows of a neutral warship. Can you confirm that this actually happened?

As I understand it, the USA had not declared a formal blockade of Manila and I thought the discussion between Hintze (Diederichs' Flag Lieutenant) and Dewey were about certain movements of the SMS IRENE.

[victoriannavyfan]

Quoted from The Spanish War by GJA O'Toole page 365 :

"It began with an incident involving the the German cruiser Cormoran-"an old offender", Dewey noted-which was sighted cruising up the bay, compelling the McCulloch to follow. Brumby (McCulloch's commander) first hoisted the international signal, "I wish to communicate." No attention was paid to this by the Cormoran. Then Brumby fired a shot across her bows, which had the desired effect. On the following day Vice Admiral von Diedrichs sent a capable, tactful young staff officer to me with a memorandum of grievances."

As far as firing upon neutral vessels, one must behave like a neutral to be treated as such. Some of the German ships arrived during the dead of night without communicating their arrival or intentions. Dewey was waiting for the appearance of a second group of Spanish warships, and a nervous commander might have fired first and asked questions later. Later the Germans set up a headquarters ashore and sent landing parties into Manila, which was still under Spanish control, again without permission. Von Diedrichs had one interpretation of neutrality laws, and Dewey (also supported by Capt Chichester of HMS Immortalite) another. The Germans proclaining that the Americans had no right to stop and board German vessels no matter what they were doing and Dewey having the opposite opinion. I have heard toward the end of the provocations that as the Immortalite was placing herself between the Americans and the other foriegn ships, Capt Chichester had the band play either "Under The Double Eagle" which was Dewey's favorite tune, or "The Star Spangled Banner", depending on which source you read. Up until the arrival of the American monitors, Dewey was at a disadvantage, but was determined to protect American rights.

[Hank]

From the archives of the venerable New York Times:

MONADNOCK FOR DEWEY; The Monitor Ordered to Proceed from San Francisco to the Philippine Islands. MORE REGULARS TO GO OUT Gen. Merritt Will Have the Fifteenth Infantry, and His Force at Its Maximum Will Amount to Over 20,000 Men.

WASHINGTON, June 1. -- The United State monitor Monadnock, now at San Francisco, has been ordered to Manila to reinforce the Pacific Squadron under Rear Admiral Dewey. The Monadnock will go into dry dock at once to be put in shape for the long journey across the Pacific. Her condition, however, is reported to be excellent.


The other low freeboard Monitor to make the voyage across the Pacific Ocean in order to reenforce Dewey's Asiatic Squadron was the double turreted USS Monterey. Several images and well written text regarding this vessel at: http://www.tendertale.com/tenders/018/018.html

She now rests off the New Jersey coast.

Regards.

[patroclus]

I have now had a look at a few sources. I can find no substatiation of the CORMORANT incident. The first serious study of the incidents in Manila Bay seems to have been written by Thomas Bailey and published in the "The American Historical Review", Vol. 45, No. 1 (Oct., 1939). Subsequent accounts seem to cite this article. It contains no mention of shots accross anyone's bows. Further citations on this matter would be appreciated.

With reference to Hank's comments on monitors, the MONTEREY arrived in Manila prior to the bombardment and, in Chichester's opinion, made the USN squadron superior in force to the German squadron. The crisis, in fact, was over at the time of the bombardment.

[Don Boyer]

My sources indicate that Dewey did, in fact, declare a blockade shortly after the battle. (If he hadn't, what purpose was served by foreign ships arriving at Manila -- RN, Imperial Japanese Navy, etc.?) By so doing, he legitimized his fleet staying right where they were, prevented troop and supply movements by sea, worried the Spanish no end, and was the only really viable option available to him, considering American troops were not yet available. He had whipped the Spanish fleet, but the Spanish army and civil government still controlled Manila and its environs. His possession of Cavite with its stores and machine shops following the battle was also legitimized by blockade, although such was really irrelevant. Cruiser guns represented all the diplomacy needed under the circumstances and, like Brown Bess, everybody bowed when they opened the ball.

Once Emilio Aguinaldo was ashore, the Filipino katipunaneros had Manila surrounded, placing the Spanish in a woeful situation.

Captain Chichester's actions, verbal or otherwise, made quite clear to the Germans the position of Her Majesty's Government, which was all that was required of him, and the last thing the Germans wanted to hear. The German huffing and puffing about in Manila and elsewhere amounted to nothing, despite being annoying. Dewey had their number, for one thing, and time was on his side.

Of the tons of books out there on the Spanish-American War, one of the best (still) is H.W. Wilson's "The Downfall of Spain" (Little, Brown & Co. Boston, 1900.) Despite age, it is highly readable and quire accurate compared to some later sources, being based almost entirely on official contemporary reports. Another good source is "A Ship to Remember: The Maine and the Spanish-American War" by Michael Blow (William Morrow & Co., Inc. New York, 1992.) Some of the political background from the American Navy's side is found in "The United States Navy in the Pacific, 1897 - 1909" by William R. Braisted (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2008 -- a reprint of the 1958 original edition.)

Post-battle Congressional blowhards and the press played up the Battle of Manila Bay for all it was worth of course, a key element in the "yellow" journalism of the day, and of course for future votes, and we all know that was hoss manuh. The weakness of the Spanish ships, the miserably led sailors (whose fighting ability could not be questioned) and the fact they were anchored have often caused comments like shooting fish in a barrel, etc. it wasn't Trafalgar or the Nile, to be sure, but on the other hand, to quote a current source:

"The Commodore deserves great credit not only for the naval battle but for also correctly gauging as overblown the alarming reports of the heavy defenses of Manila, and even more for correctly estimating the actual fighting value of the Spanish and their weapons. These facts would not have been apparent at the time to a casual observer. Much has been written after the battle about the ease of Dewey’s victory, somewhat akin to shooting fish in a barrel rather than a true salty broadside-to-broadside engagement of relative equals on the high seas as in the days of Nelson’s Band of Brothers or the later mish-mash at Jutland. This overlooks the fact that it might not have been that way—with persistence, money and some hard work the Spanish “fish” could have been most dangerous sharks; Dewey had no way to know for certain the condition of the opposing fleet beforehand despite some good intelligence data. He took a considerable risk in attacking a fleet in a harbor surrounded by military forts and guns, many of which would be behind him if he did succeed in penetrating the harbor. And his opponent's ships could have been deployed in battle line, backed by the forts of Manila." ("From Manila Bay to Pearl Harbor" unpublished manuscript.)

Slightly off-thread, but an interesting fact is that the protected cruiser Baltimore was the second ship in the American line at this battle which took place early on a Sunday morning against a fleet at anchor in harbor. Forty-three years later, the Baltimore, stricken from the naval register and awaiting scrapping, was witness to another attack on an anchored fleet in harbor early on a Sunday morning -- December 7, 1941.

[patroclus]

Than you, Don. I have Braistead's book, which is principally based on Bailey's article for the actions at Manila. It also takes the view that Dewey's claims in his autobiography about firing across the bows of German warships were erroneous.

I have never read Dewey's biography but have seen it described as "melodramatic" and largely responsible for most of the myths about the campaign.

[victoriannavyfan]

Another online source I have found claiming the Mcculloch fired shots across Cormoran's bow was on the Axis History Forum. There is an article titled "German designs on the Philippines 1898". The info was taken from an article titled "The American Way of Strategy" by Michael Lind.

[patroclus]

Another online source I have found claiming the Mcculloch fired shots across Cormoran's bow was on the Axis History Forum. There is an article titled "German designs on the Philippines 1898". The info was taken from an article titled "The American Way of Strategy" by Michael Lind.

But what are the primary sources for the story which are cited by these people?

[Alex Shenec]

Hi.

I read the new monography about the American cruiser "Olympia".
It will be soon printed in Russian magazine "Sea campaign" ("Morskaya kampaniya").

Chronology of events:

On May, 6th - the cruiser "Irene" has come to Manila (left on May, 2nd Nagasaki). Its occurrence has been noted by scandal. Germans have refused to pay to Americans of honour according to naval etiquette.

On May, 9th - the cruiser "Cormoran" has come to Manila (left on May, 2nd Kiautschou Bay). Again scandal. "Cormoran" tried to pass at night in a bay and has stopped only after a precautionary shot from a cruiser "Raileigh".

On June, 12th - the cruiser "Kaiserine Augusta" (Flagship of the vice-admiral Otto von Diederichs) has come to Manila.

On June, 18th - the battleship "Kaiser" has come to Manila. He also has refused to stop.

On June, 20th - the cruiser "Princess Wilhelm" has come to Manila.
Also the steamship "Darmstadt" has come to Manila. On it were various equipment and 1400 troops.

Germans have put the troops ashore Manila Bay.

On July, 5th "Irene" has left in Subic Bay. It has prevented there to insurgents to grasp island Grande on July, 7th. Dewey has sent there cruiser"Raileigh" and gunboat "Concord". As a result, "Irene" had to leave a Subic Bay.

Incident with "McCulloch" and a "Irene" has taken place on July, 23rd.

The list of the literature from the monography.

Best regards

Alex

[Hank]

Thank you for the inclusion of the bibliography in the thumbnail attachment, Alex. I'll be searching for the 1899 Proceedings of of the Navy Department as definitive primary documentation on this event. Regards

[patroclus]

I look forward to seeing the results of Hank's search. A bibliography is all very well but citations are better.:)

I note that there is nothing in the Russian notes about the MCCULLOCH firing a shot across the bows of the CORMORANT.

The IRENE was already under way and leaving Subic Bay before the RALEIGH and CONCORD came on the scene (see Bailey, Braisted).

Bailey's article is based on the logs of the US, British and German ships.

[Alex Shenec]

Authors (N.Mityukov and P.M.McSherry) write, that "Cormoran" has tried to enter into a bay without the permission. "McCulloch" has obtained the order to stop the German warship. "Cormoran" has started to increase speed. Then "McCulloch" has made a precautionary shot before a cruiser bow. After that the "Cormoran" has stopped.

Best regards

Alex

[patroclus]

Authors (N.Mityukov and P.M.McSherry) write, that "Cormoran" has tried to enter into a bay without the permission. "McCulloch" has obtained the order to stop the German warship. "Cormoran" has started to increase speed. Then "McCulloch" has made a precautionary shot before a cruiser bow. After that the "Cormoran" has stopped.

Best regards

Alex

Thanks Alex. Those authors were not there at the time. What is their primary source for this particular statement.

[Harley]

By the same token, the afore-mentioned Thomas Bailey certainly wasn't there, nor were any of the participants in this discussion for that matter.

Simon

[Hank]

The accounts of the Battle of Manila Bay I've encountered on the internet are amazing for their lack of mention of any other national envolvement than the Spanish and the Americans. I'll post what I find from Calkins' article in the Proceedings once I get them. This may take a while, budget cuts are reducing the amount the county will be spending on the library system. Less hours and less fuel for the delivery guy. The librarians worry of their jobs.

Anybody out their interested in what I am sure will be a complete account of Manila Bay during the period in question might search:

Calkins, C.O. Historical and Professional Notes on the Naval Campaign of Manila Bay in 1898-Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, 1899, Volume 25, Number 2

George Dewey was in the same USNA class as one of my ancestors. They got into it during Artillery drill one day, the cause of the tiff unknown to me. They didn't say a word to each other for the remainder of their lives, meeting once more when my ancestor was captured at the siege of Ft. Jackson on the Mississippi River. Regards

[patroclus]

By the same token, the afore-mentioned Thomas Bailey certainly wasn't there, nor were any of the participants in this discussion for that matter.

Simon

No, but the afore-mentioned Thomas Bailey is meticulous in citing his primary sources, which is probably why his account has been generally accepted as authoritative.

[patroclus]

The accounts of the Battle of Manila Bay I've encountered on the internet are amazing for their lack of mention of any other national envolvement than the Spanish and the Americans. I'll post what I find from Calkins' article in the Proceedings once I get them. This may take a while, budget cuts are reducing the amount the county will be spending on the library system. Less hours and less fuel for the delivery guy. The librarians worry of their jobs.

Anybody out their interested in what I am sure will be a complete account of Manila Bay during the period in question might search:

Calkins, C.O. Historical and Professional Notes on the Naval Campaign of Manila Bay in 1898-Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, 1899, Volume 25, Number 2




Internet Archive/Google have Vol 25, 1 and 3 but I have not been able to find 2. If anyone can find a link I would appreciate them posting it.

The earliest example of the Chichester story that Bailey could find was in Henry Cabot Lodge's "The War with Spain", 1899.

I'm beginning to wonder if all this business about shots across bows is not just an example of a little journalistic licence. The use of unshotted guns in signalling and to attract attention was a common practice then and in earlier times and would not rate a mention in official reports. It would be easy to move from "fired a gun" to "fired a shot".

[Hank]

There were a series of posts regarding the Battle of Manila Bay and the contention that Admiral George Dewey fired a warning shot to stop German naval force from entering the harbor. I can't find those series of posts and will enter my findings regarding the allegations here.

The copy of the Historical and Professional Notes on the Naval Campaign of Manila Bay in 1898 came in this morning, Vol. XXV, No.2 of the Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, June, 1899.

Lieutenant Carlos Gilman Calkins, U.S.N. authored this text, mentioning at the beginning that he wrote "without attempting to show the historical or political significance of these events." Take it from there, Sportsfan. It's flatter than Kansas. Research of Calkins shows that he is author of several other professional papers through the Naval Institute. These may be found on the internet. He was listed in the Register of Commissioned and Warrant officers as being Commanding at Wilmington in October of 1904 at the rank of Captain and had been at that station for two years.

The mention of other nationalities beyond the Spanish and Americans are related to the occupation during the month of June, 1898, in that "attempts were made to induce the consuls and senior naval officers to unite in arrangements for the joint occupation of the commercial quarter of Manila for the protection of the life and property of foreigners." The only non-belligerents mentioned are Sir Edward Chinchester, commander of H.B.M.S. Immortalite and the British Consul, Rawson-Walker. The last few pages of the article were used to tell of early exploits of Europeans in the area, much of the historical mention of events of the 17th century.

At no time is German presence mentioned or eluded to. The question of warning shots being fired by a U.S. Naval vessel in order to halt a German naval vessel cannot be answered by me on the basis of the information at hand. Regards

[John Odom]

Without any specific references my recollection of what I was taught in Philippine History class (many) years ago is that AFTER Dewey's battle with the Spaniards, some German ships behaved "provocatively" and Dewey sent a message asking what their intention was. Meanwhile the German commander had consulted the British and learned the Brits would side with the Americans, if there were hostilities. He (the German) then sent word to Dewey that he had no hostile intentions. I don't remember ever reading from any authoritative source that Dewey ever fired a shot (or busted a cap) toward the Germans. I do recall that there were said to have been some tense moments.

[qprdave]

I found this small piece that was published in The London Times on the 4th October 1898.

It might have some relevance to the topic or might not.

Dave

[Don Boyer]

I'm currently working on a book regarding the protected cruiser Baltimore, and in all the stuff I have or have read, there's no confirmation that any shots were needed to dissuade the impolite German vessels. Apparently, Admiral Dewey made the American position regarding any German interference with either the blockade or the affairs of the Spanish government as well as the katipunaneros quite clear to his German opposite number and that was all that was required. The usual German huffing and puffing, trying to cut out a piece of the pie for themselves, amounted to naught and they returned to Tsingtao right around the time two American monitors with 10" and 12" guns showed up.

I did read somewhere that there were allusions or mentions of shots across the bows in various articles and/or after the fact biographies, but haven't tried to track any down. An American shot across a German bow would have been reported by the British and Japanese present no doubt, as proof positive the blockade was, in fact, effective, one of the legal requirements of a blockade. (“Blockades, in order to be binding, must be effective.” Declaration of Paris, Art. 4. 1856). In the absence of such reports, I would bet no such action ever occurred.

[Hank]

Thank You for finding the parent thread of this line of enquiry, Patroclus. Yes, lets meld these posts where they belong, if possible. Thanks to all who shared their knowledge of this event. The passage from the Times is telling, QPRdave.

I include extract from a Manila newspaper of some years back, the article purporting to be conversational account of Dewey and one of the German officers. I can't vouch for the authenticity, but it reads right. Regards

"The Germans continued to violate the blockade. They took soundings off Malabon and at the mouth of the Pasig River. Von Diederichs himself landed at Manila and occupied one of the quarters of the Spanish officers. The German soldiers occupied the lighthouse of Manila and some of them landed in Mariveles and conducted drills.

They also irritated Dewey by sending a launch one night at 11 p.m. to deliver an unimportant message.

The breaking point came when the German gunboat Cormoran refused to acknowledge signals from the Americans to be boarded for inspection. The boat had to be stopped by firing a shot across its bow. Von Diederichs then sent an officer to complain about Dewey’s provocative acts.

While listening to the German officer, Dewey’s complexion changed from white to red. He then asked: “Does his Excellency [von Diederichs] know that it is my force and not his is that is blockading this port [Manila]?

The officer answered yes.

Dewey continued: “And is he aware that he has no rights except as I choose to allow him and does he realize that he cannot communicate with that city without my permission?”

“One can imagine, sir, that you were conducting this blockade,” was the reply.

Dewey then bluntly asked, “Do you want war with us?”

“Certainly not!” was the officer’s curt reply

“Well, it looks like it, and you are very near it, and . . . you can have it as soon as you like!” replied Dewey with his voice raised so that he could be heard by officers below deck.

The German officer backed in consternation and whispered to Dewey’s flag lieutenant: “Your admiral seems to be much in earnest.” The flag lieutenant replied: “You can be certain that he means every word he says.”

For a while there was a tense situation in Manila Bay. The Germans were superior in both men and firepower to the Americans. At this point the British squadron under Captain Sir Edward Chichester sided with Dewey. The British ship Immortalit’e sailed alongside Dewey’s flagship the Olympia with its band playing “The Star Spangled Banner.” The balance now tipped in favor of the Americans and the Germans stopped their provocations.

If a second battle was fought and if the United States were defeated, the Philippines would have become a German colony. The idea would have been supported by the Filipino elite since Germany had a positive image as a rapidly progressive European power. Rizal and other reformists admired Germany, its culture and its industry and hoped that Filipinos imitate the German work ethic known for its emphasis on efficiency and frugality. "

[qprdave]

The two threads have been merged

Dave

[John Odom]

From the New York Times:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F70712F73E5C1B728DDDA80994DB405B888DF1D3

[John Odom]

Another from the NYT:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0816FC355E12738DDDAF0A94DA405B848DF1D3

[Don Boyer]

Thanks, John...great informative articles. I'd always thought the "shots across the bows" bit to be mostly hot air. I have no doubt whatsoever however, that Dewey would have no problem at all in doing so if the need was felt, and that he would back his officers 100 percent.

[qprdave]

Would I be right in saying that Admiral Dewey was the naval version General Patton?

What did the crews that he served with think of him?

What did the the politicians and fellow senior officers of the day think of him?

Dave

[Don Boyer]

A small portion of the book I'm working on re Dewey:

"As war loomed for the Asiatic Fleet, Commodore Dewey was then 60 years old, a Vermonter and an 1858 Naval Academy graduate who had assumed command of the Asiatic Fleet in January of 1898. Assistant secretary of the navy Theodore Roosevelt had been instrumental in getting Dewey his command. The navy secretary, John Davis Long, considered Dewey a “political patron” (he was politically well connected, having married the daughter of the governor of New Hampshire) and probably would not have selected him for the position, reflected in the fact that Dewey did not receive Rear Admiral’s rank when he assumed his new post as was normally the case when assigned a major fleet command. (The rank of “Commodore” was used by the navy to designate a Captain assigned command of a fleet or squadron. This made the individual appropriately senior to all other captains in the fleet, and was considered a “flag” rank. It didn’t do anything for one’s bank account, however.) Publicly, Dewey ignored the slight from the secretary. Regardless of Long’s opinion, Dewey had exactly the qualities needed for the job—he was quick at making good decisions, very direct in his dealings with others and was focused on victory in battle rather than politics. These characteristics apparently escaped the navy secretary’s notice, but they were about to become very evident, especially to the Spanish government in the Philippines."

One notes that immediately after the news of the Battle of Manila Bay reached Washington, Dewey was promoted to Rear Admiral. Later, Congress promoted him to "Admiral of the Navy" the first and only four-star rank of that category. (The four star rank of Admiral came later, as did the five-star Fleet Admiral rank.) Secretary Long probably didn't think much of that, either, but not much he could say.

I have not read much of a negative nature about the Admiral from any of his contemporaries, but then I haven't gone looking into the subject much either. A good short biography is at http://www.spanamwar.com/dewey.htm.

[Hank]

Well, John Odom's inclusion of the New York Times archieved article of February 26, 1914 states that "shots" were fired twice by forces of Dewey while maintaining blockade. One shot fired at German pinnance for colors not being "plainly" displayed and the second for a night approach by a German pinnance on the U.S.S. Olympia with a message. This is probably the 11 P.M. incident mentioned in the article by the Manila newspaper.

Thanks for the thread merger qprDave.

Still have a question regarding those two shots fired. Were they blanks, just a bit of attention getting noise, or were they live rounds? The firing of the shot in the harbor at night lends creedence to me of the former.

Regards

[qprdave]

Here is a report, Published in The Times of London on 9th May 1898, concerning the Battle off Manila.

I hope that it is of interest to some.

Let me know if you want some more reports. They are quite long and require a bit of reading.

Dave

[John Odom]

Very interesting reading Dave. Thanks!