Third Battle of San Juan (1898)

The Third Battle of San Juan began on 28 June 1898 when an American auxiliary cruiser intercepted a Spanish blockade runner. A Spanish squadron attempted to rescue the blockade runner and succeeded in taking off supplies and her crew but failed to save the ship, which the American warship engaged and forced to run aground.

Prelude

Puerto Rico had been under attack by US Navy forces under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson since just before the Bombardment of San Juan early on in the war. The only Spanish effort to break the blockading forces had failed on 22 June, and instead of actively engaging the Americans the Spanish forces were bottled up in harbor at the capital of San Juan. Blockade runners had on occasion slipped through the San Juan Blockade, but were often driven away or captured before ever nearing the harbor. The SS ''Antonio Lopez'' was a transport turned blockade runner that had been disarmed and fitted out at Cadiz, Spain and set sail on June 16 for San Juan with a large supply of cargo, food, and twelve modern artillery pieces to bolster the defense of San Juan. On 28 June, she was met by the American auxiliary cruiser USS ''Yosemite'' which had just relieved the as the blockading ship off San Juan. The auxiliary cruiser was crewed by members of the Michigan Naval Militia and commanded by William Emory.

Battle

With the blockade runner in sight, ''Yosemite'' began chase and opened fire on the vessel firing a shot. ''Antonio Lopez'' wasted no time and began to flee towards the protection of San Juan's Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort El Cañuelo while ''Yosemite'' kept up its fire upon the vessel. As she was running for San Juan, the blockade runner became up on a reef, as the captain was quite unfamiliar with the waters in the area. Unable to free his vessel and taking casualties, the captain of the Spanish vessel ordered his crew to abandon ship. As the American vessel closed in on her prey, the Spanish forts opened fire and Emory began zig-zagging in order to avoid taking their fire.

In an effort to save the ''Antonio Lopez'' and its much needed cargo, the Spanish squadron, bottled up in the harbor, sortied out to rescue her. The Spanish gunboats and ''Ponce de Leon''Note: Some sources state that ''Terror'' not ''Ponce de Leon'' was the third ship. However, most of the sources say that ''Terror'' was inactive at this time having been put out of action during the Second Battle of San Juan. and the cruiser rushed to the blockade runner's aid and attacked the approaching American cruiser. As soon as the American vessel was in range, the forts opened fire. The Spanish cruiser's fire temporarily drove off ''Yosemite'', but the American auxiliary cruiser soon returned and managed to force ''Isabell II'' and ''General Concha'' to the protection of the coastal forts while ''Ponce De Leon'' hid behind the burning ''Antonio Lopez''. Under the protection of the Spanish forts and vessels, the blockade runner was unapproachable by ''Yosemite'' and with the Spanish transport on fire and effectively neutralized she moved back to her blockading position. ''Yosemite'' had done her job effectively though, and ''Antonio Lopez'' was stranded on the reefs and could not be dislodged, despite strenuous Spanish efforts to do so.

Aftermath

With a renewed attack by ''Yosemite'' looming, the Spanish under the command of Captain Ramón Acha CaamañoProtagonistas de la Guerra Hispano Americana en Puerto Rico
/ref> were quick to remove as much of the stranded ship's cargo as possible. Their desperate efforts proved fruitful in that they were able to salvage nearly the entire cargo from the hulk. They left behind only some minor articles and one cannon that had fallen overboard during salvage operation. On 15 July, arrived to relieve ''Yosemite'', and the next day it quickly polished off ''Antonio Lopez'' by firing twenty incendiary shells into the vessel, sinking it. Though ''Antonio Lopez'' had been sunk, she had successfully delivered her cargo, ensuring that any American assault on San Juan would be met with stronger resistance. Today, the wreck of the SS ''Antonio Lopez'' is a National Historic Landmark and a public dive site.

Citations

Footnotes

See also

* Puerto Rican Campaign

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan (1898), Third Battle Of
Naval battles of the Spanish–American War
Conflicts in 1898
Battles and conflicts without fatalities
Military history of Puerto Rico
History of San Juan, Puerto Rico
June 1898 events
19th century in San Juan, Puerto Rico