After the U.S. Navy renegotiated countermeasures, more ships were circling around the Caribbean and the Atlantic.

These vessels are found all over the seas, especially in the Bermuda Islands, and several of them are seen flying around every day.

These roaming ships, like a tight net, tried to net the Spanish fleet out.

Not to mention, the big net woven by the US Navy this time was really effective, and in less than three days, the news about the appearance of the Spanish fleet in Puerto Rico immediately reached the ears of the US Navy.

After receiving the news that the Spanish fleet had appeared in Puerto Rico, the US Navy immediately dispatched additional patrol ships to keep the traces of the Spanish fleet in its hands.

Sometimes the magic of money is so great, and after the United States stepped up its efforts to throw money around, the Caribbean was filled with ships of all kinds, leaving the Spanish fleet with nowhere to hide.

"Lieutenant General, it seems that it is impossible to sneak to the port of San Diego, I suggest going directly and generously."

On the flagship Empress Sabel, Colonel Leffel looked at the various ships scattered in the distance, and said to Vice Admiral Sedra helplessly. "It will also speed up the installation of the boilers for Princess Christina as soon as possible."

Well, there are too many benefits from concealing their whereabouts before, so this time the Spanish fleet hopes to rush to Cuba in a concealed way.

On the one hand, although two N-3 heavy-duty boilers were obtained, three days in Bermuda were simply not enough to install them on the Princess Christina. So after leaving Bermuda, the only way to recover was to go to Spain's own shipyard. At present, the only shipyards that have the capacity to carry out repairs on the Princess Christina are the ports of Havana and Santiago on the island of Cuba.

On the other hand, it has been almost two months since the fleet came out, and it has traveled nearly 10,000 kilometers, and the officers and men are very tired from the high-intensity work. In order for the officers and men of the fleet to rest, as well as to maintain the ships, it was also necessary to repair the port.

And for this reason, the Spanish fleet had to go to Cuba to dock, although they also knew that it would cause a lot of danger, but this was also something that could not be helped.

It is precisely because he knows this that Lieutenant General Cedra hopes to be able to quietly rush to the port of Santiago, after all, the port of Havana is too close to the United States and too unsafe.

But since Colonel Leffel had said so, after some consideration, Lieutenant General Sedra spoke.

"In that case, then we will no longer hide it and rush to Santiago at full speed."

With the order of Vice Admiral Cedera, the Spanish fleet, which no longer concealed its whereabouts, rushed all the way to Cuba in full view.

And the news of the departure of the Spanish fleet to Cuba fell into the hands of the US Navy in less than two days.

After receiving the news that the Spanish fleet was heading for Cuba, the US Navy did not dare to slack off and immediately convened a meeting to discuss the matter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our efforts have finally borne fruit, and now the Spanish fleet is speeding all the way to Cuba, and we have reason to believe that this time we have caught the tail of the cunning Spanish fleet. For this reason, how we should encircle and suppress this fleet, which is causing trouble on the east coast, and how to take Cuba away from Spain will be the next task of our navy. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think that now that the Spanish fleet is heading for Cuba, this is a good opportunity, and we should send the fleet back to the Jacksonville military port at once, and when we have found out where the enemy is located, we can besiege or destroy it."

As soon as Brigadier General Dewey opened his remarks, he put forward his own views and suggestions.

"Isn't that too hasty?" Although they knew about Dewey's relationship with Secretary Roosevelt, there were still some people who opposed this direct and desperate approach. I saw that Major Samplin would continue.

"Now that we know that the Spanish fleet is on its way to Cuba, we can of course return to the Jacksonville military port, but I suggest that we collect all the unused mines in each port before returning. We don't need to force our way into the enemy's port, we just need to know where the enemy did it. ”

It is clear that although Major General Samplin has not yet said a specific method, he is full of experienced senior officers present, and naturally thinks of a solution from the items he said. That's right, mines are a good thing, this thing is both offensive and defensive, and it is very suitable for the current situation of the US Navy.

That's right, it's not good to block the enemy somewhere with such a good thing as a mine than an aggressive attack. You must know that the warships currently in the hands of the US Navy cannot be said to be able to defeat the opponent completely, and the 37 Kai is the US Navy's private estimate.

From here, we can see how inadequate the confidence of the US Navy is. Lock the enemy in the harbor, and when the time comes, it will be in time for the army landing operation.

"In addition, I hope to bring not only mines, but also torpedo boats and shallow water heavy gunboats this time."

Rear Admiral Samplin's words made the other generals stunned, and also made Secretary Roosevelt's face change slightly, which wanted to pull most of the navy warships over, which was very easy to attract topics. For this reason, Roosevelt, as Secretary of the Navy, asked. "Do I have to bring it?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, I cannot guarantee victory in the exchange of fire with the Spanish fleet, so I need every ship to play its part, which will increase our chances of victory."

True, for Rear Admiral Samplin, at the moment the US Navy does not have an advantage after the unexpected loss of the support fleet headed by the USS Iowa. Damn the Italians, why sell so many battleships.

Now every battleship in hand is precious, not to mention shallow water heavy gunboats.

The US Navy has 3 4,000-ton shallow water heavy gunboats. The three shallow-water heavy gunboats, numbered BM2, BM3, BM5, were armed with 4 254-mm 30-caliber guns. The main armor belt was up to 224 mm thick, the gun mount armor was 260 mm, and the turret armor was 180 mm.

This data looks good, but because of the very early age, these armors are steel-faced iron armor, and their protection level is still far from enough. As for the speed, it was 12 knots when it first entered service, and now it can have 10 knots.

But anyway, there are still 12 10-inch guns on these 3 battleships, right? At this juncture of preparing for a decisive battle, these three shallow-water heavy gunboats were pulled into the battlefield to attack the batteries and deplete the opposing fleet.

"Do you have to bring three ships with you?"

"Having them will increase the hope of victory for the fleet."

"Then bring it."

Once the U.S. Navy had made up its mind, it began to act. Battleships distributed in the ports of the Northeast began to move towards the Jacksonville military port. In addition, ammunition supplies and other supplies are also being transported to the Jacksonville military port.

Of course, the most important thing is to find out where the Spanish fleet is, how long it can stay there, and why it stays.