With two 12.5-inch, one 11-inch, and six 4.7-inch guns on the side projection, the battleship Pelayo was an old ship launched in 1887, but the replacement of boilers and armor in 1893 allowed her to still have a good fighting ability.

When the Pelayo targeted the Texas, the weakest in the U.S. fleet, as an old Central Ironclad of the same type as the Maine, the Texas had no problem bullying the Spaniards' cruisers, but it was a little more than enough to face the Pelayo, which had a larger tonnage than itself and a stronger firepower than herself.

Soon, the Qiē that had happened on the Okundo was repeated on the Texas, and the 6,000-ton Texas with only 12-inch old composite steel armor was shot through the swollen armor belt by the Pelayo's 12.5-inch main gun, and the ammunition depot of the Texas with the old hull bulked sideways was also here.

Although the shells did not penetrate the ammunition depot, the heat and impact of the explosion caused the same scene as the previous explosion and sinking of the Maine, and the explosion immediately turned the Texas into purgatory, and now it is the Americans who scream and jump into the sea to escape.

From the incomparably smooth attack on three armored cruisers of the Spanish Navy to the instant loss of a battleship, even the old Texas, this role change made the Americans stunned for a moment.

The Carlos V and the Prince of Asturias targeted the two American protective cruisers, and the Columbia, which had already eaten two 11-inch shells from the Viscaya, was the first to be unable to support it, and after two more 11-inch shells broke out on the ship, and after the fire spread uncontrollably, the crew abandoned the ship and escaped.

The Minneapolis ate an 11-inch shell, which smashed into the boiler room. Let it quickly lose power and collapse on the water, if the Cologne can come forward and flank at this point, even if there is no main gun. The numerous rapid-fire guns on its flanks were not something that a protective cruiser could handle, and the USS Minneapolis was probably in danger of not escaping.

But a good ship also needs good people. The captain of the Cologne was bent on getting rid of the American fleet chasing after him, and had no intention of attacking the Minneapolis, and while the American warship turned its guns, the Cologne used its high speed to pass through the front of the American fleet and meet the reinforcement fleet.

As a result, the USS Minneapolis escaped extinction, but at this time, Sampson's only armored cruiser and battleship Oregon had combat power, and it was a little difficult to cope with the unfavorable situation of 2v4.

Although the USS New York is a cutting-edge armored cruiser, it is the product of the early exploration of armored cruisers by the Americans. It also had the same problems as the early armored cruisers, and its actual performance was not as good as that of the Cologne, which was in the lead position when it crossed the American fleet directly in front of it and joined the support fleet, and once it joined the formation, the Cologne would be the lead ship against the New York.

Although the Indiana-class battleship is known as a former dreadnought, it has a low freeboard and shallow draft, and in the eyes of future generations, it is simply a large shallow-water heavy artillery mosquito ship, and the ocean-going shore defense battleship that fought against Congress and pressed on her head is simply very appropriate in a sense, because the low freeboard makes its seaworthiness extremely bad, and it should have been an honest shore defense ship.

Although the Oregon has a super 13-inch naval gun, it is also a little weak to resist the attack of the Spanish fleet's 1 battleship and 2 armored cruisers on its own.

The situation is moving in a direction that Sampson does not want to see. Again, a good ship needs a good guy, even though the New York has an 8-inch gun. But as a fine product in the patrol, the Cologne's excellent protective performance does not have to worry about how much damage the Americans can cause to themselves.

The New York's protective system couldn't stop the massive 6-inch rapid-fire guns, but the Cologne looked extremely bad in the engagement. Although a few shells were hit, there were no casualties on the New York, except for one shell that grazed the upper part of the front turret of the New York, cutting off the head of a sergeant major who was observing the impact point.

The Cologne itself was hit by the New York on several occasions, but although it looked bad, it was not seriously injured.

However, the Oregon was in some trouble at this time, and most of the Spaniard's shells fell on its superstructure. The two twin secondary gun turrets were dumbfounded, and the four main guns fought back. But maybe the 2% hit rate of the Americans was used up in the front, and now it's time to pay back the 98% miss. So the Oregon never got a hit.

Seeing that it would be impossible to hold on like this, Sclairy, who was chasing after him, finally arrived, and the addition of the armored cruisers USS Brooklyn, USS Indiana, USS Massachusetts, and USS Iowa became the last weight to cut off the possibility of victory for the Spaniards.

When the four battleships lined up the battle line and began to salute the Spaniards, there was no suspense, the Carlos V and the Prince of Asturias were the first to be unable to hold on, and soon lost their combat effectiveness, and the Americans, seeing that the two cruisers had no ability to resist, pointed the finger at the Pelayo.

The surroundings of the Pelayo were full of huge water columns splashed by heavy shells, but the four battleships besieging the Pelayo were in a chaotic situation, and no one knew which water column was made by themselves, and the Americans could only follow their feelings at this time.

In such chaos, the Pelayo was hit by 5 13-inch shells, 2 12-inch shells and multiple 8-inch shells, such a heavy blow Pelayo simply could not withstand it, and the captain finally ordered the beach to run aground.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Cologne turned the bow of the ship and wanted to run, but how could Brooklyn, who had already caught up at this time, do what she wanted, and Sclairy immediately chased after her.

The New York, which had not achieved a decisive blow one-on-one with the Cologne, also chased after it, and the fleet commander Sampson was also angry at this time, and the fleet under his own leadership suffered severe losses, which overshadowed his previous brilliant victory. Only by completely solving the Spanish fleet can he save some face.

The constant inflection of 8-inch shells around the Cologne caused a huge psychological strain on the Spaniards, knowing that the Americans were unlikely to be able to hit the chase in such a chase.

At this time, the bad news continued, the Cologne had run out of high-quality coal from Spain, and the Cuban inferior coal began to slow down, and the distance between the Cologne and the Americans was getting closer and closer, and the Cologne was finally caught between two American armored cruisers before it could escape a few nautical miles.

A total of 11 8-inch guns fired by the Americans smashed into the Cologne, and even if the level of protection of the Garibaldi class was good, there was absolutely no possibility of escaping from the ascension in this situation.

An 8-inch shell landed in the stern of the ship, cracking a steam pipe in the engine room, which became the last straw that broke the nerves of the Spaniards, and the captain of the Cologne ordered the flag to be lowered and fired an air cannon into the sky to signal surrender, and then self-destructed at the beach in front of the Americans.

It was time for the Americans to show their chivalry again, and the Americans quickly lowered their dinghy to rescue the Spanish crew, and the decks of the ships were quickly filled with prisoners, clean suits and plates of food were served, and the wounded were housed in the officers' cabins.

When the captain of the wounded Viskaya handed over his saber to the captain of the Iowa with tears in his eyes, the captain of the Iowa politely refused, a scene that cheered the sailors on both sides, and Admiral Servera was greeted by American officers and men when he stepped onto the deck of the Iowa, and he himself was not taken prisoner after being sent to the continental United States, and was treated as a guest of honor at the Annapolis Naval Academy.

The qiē done by the Americans was the last bit of self-esteem for the Spaniards, who had tasted the bitterness of defeat and endured the pain.

On the deck of the Iowa, the bandaged, bloodstained captain of the Viskaya looked at his ship burning in flames and whispered, "Go all the way, Viskaya." Then he saluted the figure in the flames one last time, and the ammunition depot, which had exploded at this moment, announced the end of the battle to his captain with a burst of fire and rumbling.

At this point, the battle of great disparity in strength came to an end, and the Americans won a great victory in sinking one ironclad ship and six protective cruisers of the Spanish Navy with the loss of one old ironclad ship and one protective cruiser, and one battleship and one protective cruiser seriously damaged.

The ensuing land war was irrelevant, and neither Roosevelt's political show with his so-called cavalry brigade nor the heavy casualties suffered by the Americans in the Battle of San Juan had little effect on the course of the war. The naval battle marked the end of the Spanish colonial history in the Americas and marked the beginning of the United States' formal entry into the ranks of the world's great powers.

When the news of the total destruction of the Spanish fleet reached Europe, the Spaniards were mourned, and the Germans were expected. other

European countries were surprised to find that the American nouveau riche, which they had always looked down on, turned out to have the power to face up to themselves.

The U.S. Navy's carnivorous monitor lizard, which is fierce in appearance but limited in size and strength, turned out to be a cub of a dinosaur, and although it was still immature in the war, its strong offensive spirit, professionalism and efficient working state left a deep impression on European countries.

Perhaps the eventual compromise between Britain and the United States during the Anglo-American crisis of 1899, and the final recognition and acceptance of the "American order" in the waters of the western Atlantic, in the presence of the United States, was also a result of facing up to this developing behemoth. (To be continued) R580