Great War at Sea Manila Bay 1898 2026

On 26 April 1898, the United States declared war on Spain. Five days later, the U.S. Navy’s Asiatic Squadron, led by Commodore George Dewey, steamed into Manila Bay, where they destroyed Admiral Patricio Montojo’s Spanish Pacific Squadron. The Americans held a significant edge in fighting power, but Dewey’s victory electrified the American public and ushered in a new age of American confidence on the world stage.

Manila Bay 1898 is a Campaign Study based on this battle and campaign. It also delves into the many historical alternatives present at this inflection point: the presence of the Spanish reinforcement squadron that set out for the Philippines but never arrived. Or its arrival, after the Americans had taken Manila. Or Montojo’s discarded strategy of scattering his fleet among the Philippine archipelago.

Fourteen scenarios look at the actual events, and those that might have taken place. The operational scenarios take place on the map from Second World War at Sea: Java Sea, with pieces from Great War at Sea: Remember the Maine.

—description from the publisher