Battle of Cardenas

The battle of Cárdenas was a naval skirmish during the Spanish-American War.

First fight

On April 25, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain. To protect themselves from US ships (which were already operating in the area before the formal declaration of war), the Ligera and the Alert, two 40-ton gunboats, equipped each with two cannons, and the Antonio López, a tugboat, took refuge in the port of Cárdenas (Matanzas province). The Antonio López was armed with a "Nordenfelt" 57 mm to be able to attack the Cuban insurgents.

On the 25th, the Light engaged in combat with an American torpedo boat that was reconnoitring the area. The torpedo boat fired 70 times at the Spanish ship, of which only one hit and without serious consequences. The Light responded to the enemy fire, leaving it seriously damaged in the engine room with 10 shots. The American ship had no choice but to withdraw.

This skirmish became the first combat of the Spanish-American War.

Second fight

The three Spanish ships were blocked in the bay by an American squadron made up of the gunboat USS Wilmington (PG-8) (1,571 t) with 16 10 cm cannons and 4 machine guns, the schooner converted into a gunboat USS Machias (PG-5) (1,177 t), the coast guard USS Hudson with 2 rapid-firing 57 mm guns, and the torpedo boat USS Winslow.

After several irrelevant skirmishes, and when the Americans saw that the blockade lasted too long, they decided to attack frontally. On May 11, the Machias, the Hudson and the Winslow entered the bay. The Spanish boats withdrew and sought refuge in the shallower areas, where the American ships could not reach. The Antonio López with the deepest draft headed for the port so that her crew could evacuate the ship if necessary.

The U.S. Cannon Wilmington

After sweeping the area for naval mines, Captain Todd ordered the Winslow to approach the shoreline and investigate. Seeing the lone Spanish tugboat, he headed towards it firing his cannons. The Antonio López responded with such good success that at the second shot, he had already left the Winslow without a system of government. The Wilmington rushed to help her compatriots by giving covering fire, but did not achieve much, while the Hudson evacuated the crew of the Winslow . Such a situation was unthinkable for the Americans, so they began shelling the city hoping to destroy non-existent hidden batteries that they believed were firing at them.

After two and a half hours of combat, the Wilmington withdrew with two hits, followed by the Hudson, with four hits, which towed the Winslow, with the machines disabled and serious breakdowns, which forced the US Navy to decommission it.

This combat became the greatest Spanish victory of the war, since it caused more casualties on the American side than in all previous and subsequent combats.

For his victory, lieutenant Montes, commander of the Antonio López received the Laureate Cross of San Fernando and lieutenant Pérez Rendón, commander of the Ligera, for his action on April 25, the Naval Cross of María Cristina

Similar events occurred in the bays of Manzanillo and Cienfuegos.

US version

In all American publications this combat is described as a battle against powerful hidden batteries. Despite the fact that the artillery commander Severo Gómez Núñez denies the existence of it in his book The Spanish-American War (1899), a year later English and French writers continue to accept the American version as good. In 1902, A History of the United States Navy again justified their defeat at the hidden batteries.