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
|