Spanish gunboat Callao
Encyclopedia
Callao was a Samar-class gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
of the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
which served in the Spanish fleet from 1888 to 1898 and fought in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
Callao was captured by the U.S. Navy in 1898 and commissioned into U.S. service. For her characteristics and career in U.S. service, see USS Callao (YFB-11)
USS Callao (YFB-11)
Callao was a gunboat of the United States Navy which fought in the Spanish-American War and served in the U.S. fleet from 1898-1923.Prior to her U.S. service, Callao was a gunboat in the Spanish Navy...
.
Technical Characteristics
Callao was built at CaviteCavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, by the Manila Ship Company, intended for colonial duty in the Philippines. She was both launched and completed in 1888. She had two masts and a steel hull, and was unarmored.
Operational history
Callao spent her Spanish NavySpanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
career on colonial duties in the Philippine Islands. When the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
began in April 1898, she was at sea on a cruise around the island of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. Her crew was unaware that war had been declared or that the Spanish Navy squadron of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron had been destroyed by the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron
Asiatic Squadron
The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century, it was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded...
under Commodore George Dewey
George Dewey
George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...
in the Battle of Manila Bay eleven days earlier when, on 12 May 1898, Callao steamed into Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
en route the harbor.
When Dewey's ships sighted the inbound gunboat, cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
USS Raleigh
USS Raleigh (C-8)
USS Raleigh was a United States Navy protected cruiser commissioned in 1894 and in periodic service until 1919.The second ship named Raleigh, C-8 was laid down on 19 December 1889 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia; launched 31 March 1892; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred W. Haywood; and...
got underway to investigate. When it became apparent that Callao was a Spanish ship, Raleigh, cruiser USS Baltimore
USS Baltimore (C-3)
The fourth USS Baltimore was a United States Navy cruiser, the second protected cruiser to be built by an American yard. Like the previous one, , the design was commissioned from the British company of W...
, and protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
USS Olympia
USS Olympia (C-6)
USS Olympia is a protected cruiser which saw service in the United States Navy from her commissioning in 1895 until 1922. This vessel became famous as the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The ship was decommissioned after...
opened fire on her.
Taken utterly by surprise, Callao's crew at first mistook the American ships for Montojo's squadron and the gunfire for target practice by Montojo's ships, but quickly realized that they were under attack and hopelessly outgunned. They struck their colors and surrendered to Raleigh. They were quickly paroled ashore at Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, and it was later rumored that the commanding officer of Callao was sentenced to death by Spanish authorities for not fighting back against the American ships.
Callao was immediately put into American service, and was officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy on 17 July 1898 as gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
USS Callao
USS Callao (YFB-11)
Callao was a gunboat of the United States Navy which fought in the Spanish-American War and served in the U.S. fleet from 1898-1923.Prior to her U.S. service, Callao was a gunboat in the Spanish Navy...
.