FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>  
favorable positions could be taken, and be of wonderful service in the campaign. The first vessel to engage in this kind of work was the "Laguna de Bay," which has made a reputation never to be forgotten so long as the history of the war in the Philippines remains familiar to the American mind. This vessel is doubtless as well known as the "Olympia," the flagship of gallant Admiral Dewey, and while there are those who fail to recall the fact that the "Boston" or the "Raleigh" took part in the attack on the Spanish in the bay of Manila, it is safe to assert that the operation of the "Laguna de Bay" and her sister craft will ever be fresh in the minds of those who have made even a casual study of the events which took place during the campaign carried on by the brave men from the youngest State in the Republic. The "Laguna de Bay," the first converted gunboat, was placed in commission on January, 1899. She was formerly used by the Spanish as an excursion boat on the body of water from which she derived her name and prior to the fall of Manila had been captured by the Filipinos and turned over to the United States. She was by no means a small craft considering her environments--shallow rivers and muddy bayous. She was 140 feet in length, 40-foot beam with a draught of four feet. When she was fitted out it was decided to give her some protection for the men, so her main deck, the upper deck, the pilot house and the Gatling battery, were protected by a double sheeting of steel. The many bullet marks on this light armor demonstrated afterwards the wisdom of this policy. At this point it may not be out of order to interpolate the fact that her companion gunboats were similarly protected, which accounts for the small list of casualties. The armament of the gunboat consisted of two three-inch marine guns, two 1.65 Hotchkiss revolving cannon and four Gatlings. At first Lieutenant R.C. Naylor was in charge of the guns, while Captain Randolph of the Third United States Artillery commanded the vessel. In addition to the men from the Utah batteries, several were detailed from the various regiments to act as sailors, riflemen and cannoneers. The boats which were added to the fleet were the "Oeste," the "Napindan" and the "Cavadonga." The last went into commission on May 6th and was commanded by Lieutenant William C. Webb. The crews of the vessel were made up of members of the Utah batteries and men from the Twenty-third Unite
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   >>  



Top keywords:

vessel

 

Laguna

 

Lieutenant

 
batteries
 
Spanish
 

Manila

 

commanded

 

gunboat

 
campaign
 

commission


protected
 

States

 

United

 

similarly

 

gunboats

 

interpolate

 

companion

 

sheeting

 
Gatling
 

protection


fitted

 

decided

 

battery

 

double

 

demonstrated

 

wisdom

 

accounts

 

bullet

 

policy

 

Napindan


Cavadonga

 

sailors

 
riflemen
 

cannoneers

 

members

 

Twenty

 

William

 
regiments
 
Hotchkiss
 

revolving


marine

 
casualties
 

armament

 

consisted

 
cannon
 
Gatlings
 

addition

 

detailed

 

Artillery

 

Naylor