Every move of the U.S. Navy was under the watchful eye of the Spaniards, and the battleship Princess Christina, which was in the harbor, used naval guns to help defend the battery. Its 15-inch main gun shells terrified the three attacking shallow water heavy gunboats.

Of course, through the radio of the Princess Christina, the Spanish fleet, located thirty kilometers away, also controlled the dynamics of the American fleet.

"Prepare for the attack, the American fleet has already separated, and some of the ammunition has been depleted, and the situation is basically perfect."

After a moment of contemplation, Lieutenant General Sedra ordered.

After a few minutes, the entire fleet began to accelerate, and the Spaniards lined up in a column and rushed towards the American fleet in the distance at the highest possible speed. At the head of the fleet, the flagship of the fleet, the Empress Isabelle's towering scissors split through the waves and were illuminated by the sun. The splash of water reflects the brilliance of 7 colors. The two twin turrets rotated slowly, and the four powerful 356-mm 35L guns were pointed to the port side. The smoke from the chimney rose into the air in the sea breeze, and it all fell into the eyes of the U.S. Navy lookouts.

"The fleet turned. Get ready for battle. The fleet maintained a speed of 12 knots, waiting for the joining of the attack formation on the opposite shore. Major General Samplin took a deep breath and ordered after stabilizing his emotions.

At 1:40 p.m. on October 2, 1898, the Battle of Santiago, which decided the ownership of the Caribbean, finally began.

"We have to speed up the T-grab." Dewey said as he looked at the Spanish fleet rapidly approaching from the northwest at a high speed of 17 knots in the distance.

"Let the second formation go and grab the T."

Major General Samplin gave the order.

Before the fleet departed, Rear Admiral Samplin and his men organized the battleships, three of the slowest Indiana-class battleships in the first formation, while four Pennsylvania-class and the USS Brooklyn mounted cruisers formed the second formation, several other protective cruisers in the third formation, and three shallow-water heavy gunboats in the fourth formation.

With Rear Admiral Samplin's order, the five only American ships immediately picked up speed and prepared to grab the T first.

Seeing that the American fleet was divided into five ships and ready to grab the T, Vice Admiral Cedra certainly would not let them get their wish. The importance of grabbing T in naval battles, without going into too much detail, he naturally won't give the other party a chance.

"Order the Columbus and the Francisco to go out with three Maria Teresa-class, and never let the other side seize the T position."

With the order of Vice Admiral Cedra, two Garibaldi-class ships and three Maria Teresa class ships immediately increased their speed, and also wanted to grab T with their speed.

The ten ships on both sides also increased the speed to the maximum formation of 20 knots, and everyone knows that under the same speed on both sides, as long as the other side does not make a big mistake, it is impossible to grab the T position. And the commanders of the patrol formations of the two sides were more cautious in the decisive battle, and it was impossible to make such a mistake, so they gave up their plans to grab T when they saw that they could not do anything.

Although the loading patrol did not succeed in grabbing T, Rear Admiral Samplin was also very satisfied to see the five fastest loading cruisers of the Spanish fleet being led away.

"So be it, increase the speed to 15 knots, and get ready for battle."

A few minutes later, the three Indiana-class ships of the first formation of the American fleet also began to accelerate. At the same time, many protective cruisers of the third formation are also speeding up.

And after the American fleet decided on tactics, the Spanish fleet also made one last tactical adjustment to the entire battle situation.

"We have to break up the U.S. fleet as much as possible, otherwise we're going to be under too much pressure." Looking at the American fleet in the distance, Colonel Lyfer said.

"Actually, we can consider attacking the three shallow heavy gunboats left behind." Vice Admiral Sedra said as he looked through his binoculars at the three slow-moving shallow heavy gunboats behind him.

"The gains outweigh the losses. If the other side loses three coastal defense ships, it will be a big deal to retreat, and we will only achieve a tactical victory. And what will be lost will be an opportunity that can break the backbone of the US Navy in a short time. We need a decisive victory! Colonel Leffel objected.

"Okay then, what do we do now? If we wait until the opposing fleet converges, we will be at a disadvantage. Lieutenant General Sedra asked. After too many battles, Cedra showed extreme trust in the Italian Colonel Lefel. Although he may be a little dissatisfied with Colonel Leffel's behavior when he is not fighting, once the war officially starts, he will still choose to listen to Colonel Leffel, after all, in wartime, the strong have the final say.

"Let the Fleur de Ulloa (Venice) and the Marquis de Venaditto (Brescia) block the other side's cruiser formation, and we need to create opportunities." After glancing at the two Tunis-class battleships behind him, he made a lot of determination to tell the plan.

"This is a very difficult time to decide, and we may lose one or two valuable ships." Lieutenant General Sedra said with a somewhat melancholy face.

"But we can win the war, just know that!" Colonel Lyfer said mercilessly.

Vice Admiral Sedra cherished any ship in the fleet, but Colonel Leffel was more concerned with winning or losing the war! As for how much of the Spanish fleet will be left after the end of this war, whether it will exist in name or not, it has nothing to do with him. After all, he was an officer in the Kingdom of Italy, not Spain.

"Well, in that case, that's all we have to do." Glancing back at the two Venice-class armored cruisers lined up, Vice Admiral Cedra said with some heartache.

In the case that the two sides are moving opposite each other, the relative speed of the two fleets is as high as 30 knots, and the distance of more than 30 kilometers is only less than half an hour.

However, before the collision of the main warships of the two sides, the loading and patrol formations of the two sides exchanged fire first.

"Fire!"

Accompanied by the gun commander's order to fire, the two Garibaldi-class 254mm 40L main guns were the first to let out a roar!

The entire sea was suddenly filled with fiery snakes. Hundreds of kilograms of shells flew out of the barrels at a speed of more than 700 meters per second and flew towards the fleet in the distance. A few seconds later, the American patrol fleet 6,000 meters away was surrounded by thick columns of water, a dull roar suddenly came from a distance, a shell accurately hit the middle of the Pennsylvania's hull, the heavy shell directly tore through the upper armor belt, which was only 4 inches, and rushed into the internal compartment, accompanied by the sound of explosion. A puff of black smoke mixed with debris and flames erupted from the breach.

"Fire!" Originally, the American patrol formation planned to get closer and open fire. After all, the Pennsylvania class has only been in service for a short time, and the level of training is not enough. But the opponent's preemptive blow made the formation commander, Colonel Simpson, have to think about morale. Sometimes, firing itself is a way to overcome fear, and when people see shells coming out of the muzzle, they will devote all their energy to the battle, and only then will they release their fears.

After a brief silence. All the 305-mm main guns and 203-mm secondary guns of the American patrol formation also spat a deadly rain of bullets at the Spanish fleet opposite.

For a time, the sea between the two sides was completely covered with smoke and fire. Accompanied by bursts of vibrations, the roar of dozens of artillery pieces resounded throughout the battlefield. From time to time, battleships were hit, and huge flames erupted from the ship's side. Fragments and blood were scattered in all directions with a massive explosion.

The sailors, under the command of the officers, struggled to extinguish the flames where they were hit. Mend damaged hulls and rescue wounded comrades. But as the two sides got closer, more and more hits made it all in vain. All the places exposed on the surface of the hull and without armor protection are forbidden areas for the Grim Reaper, and if they leak outside for a few seconds, they may be swept into a blood gourd by shrapnel flying from nowhere.

When the patrol formation was inseparable, the battleship's side was also connected to fire.

According to the pre-arranged tactics, the two Venice-class cruisers were mounted to meet each other's protective cruisers.

"At the beginning of the war, the two Venetian-class cruisers were under great pressure. On average, each ship can only use 4 10-inch guns and 8 6-inch guns to counter the opponent's firepower that exceeds more than twice its own, and both the Duke of Ulloa and the Marquis of Venaditto are under great pressure, and our firepower is at a disadvantage. —From Lieutenant General Cedera's autobiography "The Battle of the Caribbean".

After the two Venice class took away one of each other's protective cruisers, the two Turin-class ships faced off against each other's three Indiana-class ships.

In terms of firepower, protection, and speed, the Indiana class is far from being comparable to the Turin class. Especially in terms of displacement of 10,000 tons, the Indiana class is equipped with 4 (twin) 330 mm main guns, 8 (twin) 203 mm secondary guns, and 4 152 mm guns. The hull could not balance the weight of the 13-inch guns, making it impossible for the guns to fire at the highest firing angle, and the firing range was damaged.

So in the first exchange of fire, Colonel Leyfell felt that the other party's three battleships failed to create pressure on him. But since the Indiana class didn't put pressure on him, the pressure turned to the other side.

In less than 3 minutes, the 356-mm 35L main guns of the two Turin-class battleships were hit. An armor-piercing projectile passed diagonally through the bow of the Oregon, and after piercing the hull plate, exploded in the anchor chamber, blowing half of the bow off.

The officers and men of the two Turin-class battleships who saw the results of the battle made persistent efforts and continued to achieve good results in two hits in the next three minutes. The two armor-piercing shells hit the middle of the Oregon's hull, blowing a twin 203 gun and a 152mm gun to pieces.

The battleship Oregon, which was at the tail of the line, drew two 13-inch guns and two 8-inch guns, and several 6-pounder guns aimed at the Cologne, which was pouring fire on the New York. With the support of the Oregon, the Cologne was soon surrounded by large and small jets of water, and Lady Luck did not make the Americans wait long, and in less than 10 minutes, the Americans' main guns finally made the first hit!

A 330-mm main gun shell weighing 412.6 kg smashed into the twin 152 mm secondary gun of the Isabel II at a speed of more than 500 meters per second. The entire secondary gun was torn to shreds. At the same time, the flue of the battleship's amidships was ruptured due to the explosion, and thick smoke billowed out of the rupture. Blocked the view of two nearby 152-mm secondary guns.

At this time the battlefield was divided into three parts, at the southern end; Two Garibaldi-class cruisers with three Maria Teresa class cruisers versus four Pennsylvania-class cruisers and a New York-class second ship, the USS Brooklyn. in the middle; Two Turin-class ships against three Indiana-class ships. in the northern section; Two Venetian-class cruisers were under pressure from a group of protective cruisers.

At this time, the easiest thing to affect the battle situation is the duel between the two sides at the southern end.

On this side, the two Garibaldi-class Columbus and Francesco fought more and more smoothly, hitting their opponents Pennsylvania and California each time, which in addition to the increasing proficiency of the gunners, the unified firing commander also contributed greatly.

At this time, a huge change occurred on the battlefield, and a 254-mm shell fired from the USS Columbus flew over the long sea area and smashed headlong into the armor under the rear main turret of the USS California.

Then a violent explosion sounded, and it happened that the conveyor belt was transporting shells and propellants, and the tragedy began.

Rumble! With a loud bang, dozens of packs of propellants and shells were detonated, and the explosion of thousands of kilograms of explosives and propellants was really amazing, and a huge fireball suddenly burst out in the middle of the entire battleship, and a piece of the upper deck was torn apart, and countless fragments were rushed into the air by the shock wave generated after the explosion, and then fell on the sea surface within a radius of several hundred meters, and some fell on the deck, and suddenly it rained a "shrapnel rain".

The massive explosion shattered the keel of the California, and the ship sank at a speed visible to the naked eye. Of the more than 500 officers and men on board, only one survived.

The sudden explosion of ammunition on the USS California changed the situation on the battlefield, and the American patrol formation, which was still slightly superior, fell into a disadvantage at this time. More importantly, the explosion of the USS California also affected the morale of the officers and men of the United States.

"Closer, let's get closer."

After seeing that his own patrol was sunk, Colonel Simpson, who led the team, was ruthless. He felt that the accuracy of the opponent's artillery was much higher than that of his side, and in such a medium and long-distance firefight, his side would suffer a big loss, and he needed to get closer.

With his order, the four American patrolmen immediately picked up speed, and they tried to close the distance between the two sides.

In the face of the actions of the American patrol formation, the Spanish patrol formation is naturally clear. If it is a separate battle, then the best thing at this time, naturally, is to continue to move and not let the American formations approach. However, this is not a separate battle, so the approach is different.

"Concentrate your fire and attack the Brooklyn at the very end."

With the Spanish commander Colonel Ramos, who led the team, ordered the formation to give priority to the Brooklyn, which was the weakest of the opposing side, to take advantage of this opportunity.

The muzzles of dozens of naval guns were aimed at the first American cruiser. The USS Brooklyn is a bit of a misnomer to be called an armored cruiser, as its armor is only 3 inches thick, and it is also a low waterline armor that does not cover the full length. As a patrol product, it is not actually a qualified product.

At this time, the unworthy Brooklyn was loaded and patrolled, and became the next target.

"Boom, boom!"

The sudden fire of dozens of naval guns left the Brooklyn wounded like a sampan struggling in a firestorm, and the boiler compartment in the middle of its hull was hit by a 254-mm armor-piercing bullet fired from above. The mere 4-inch sloping armor could not stop the attack of the 287KG armor-piercing shells, and the shells were like slicing cream to splinter the armor plates in front of it and flew directly into the boiler. This was accompanied by the sound of shells crashing into boilers. A loud bang resounded throughout the battlefield.

After the boiler exploded, the high-temperature and high-pressure steam lost its restraint and instantly erupted from the breach, tearing apart the hull that had already appeared fragile in the long-term battle! The white steam and yellow-green delay symbolized destruction, and the entire battleship quickly slowed down. The propeller spun unwillingly. However, losing power, it was forced to slowly stop turning, drifting in the current like a dead fish, and the hull was badly damaged in the explosion. Numerous breaches caused the ship to tilt quickly, and the ship, which had lost power, was unable to send out stagnant water, and it was only a matter of time before it sank.

Seeing that he was losing another battleship made Colonel Simpson's eyes redden.

At this time, the distance between the two sides has come to 3000 meters.

"Fire them all and send them all to hell!"

With Colonel Simpson's roar, the three Pennsylvania-class patrol ships were also in full swing, and the heavy artillery fire was inclined to the Spanish patrol formation.

Faced with the fire of three Pennsylvania-class ships, it was the Maria Teresa who was the first to be baptized, which was hit by two 305-mm shells, one of which exploded on the bridge and set fire behind the chimney. The other shot hit the stern waterline, piercing the 4-inch tail armor and opening a hole of about 1 meter, and after the turbulent sea water poured in, the speed of the battleship was reduced by about 1 knot.

Seeing that Maria Teresa was slowed down, what are you waiting for, she became seriously ill and killed him.

The Maria Teresa continued to come under more intense attack. The Maria Teresa struggled to turn around in the hail of bullets, trying to avoid some of the fire. But how is this possible. Under the fire of artillery of various calibers, the Maria Teresa was reached into a burning torch within dozens of minutes, and the waterline on both sides of the ship was hit by various shrapnel and shells, and there were all kinds of irregular wounds, large and small.

An even more fatal blow came from the Pennsylvania-class cruiser No. 3 ship Colorado, a 305 mm shell from its front main gun, hit the waterline of the Maria Teresa, and the violent explosion instantly tore a hole 3 meters long and 1 meter wide, and a large influx of seawater put the battleship on the verge of death.