• May 1, 1898

    At the start of the war, on May 1, 1898, the U.S. Navy attacked a fleet of Spanish ships anchored in Manila Bay in the Philippine Islands. The U.S. Navy sank all of the Spanish ships without any loss of their own.

  • July 3, 1898

    The Battle of Santiago de Cuba occurred at the end of the war, on July 3, 1898.
    The American fleet was far stronger than the Spanish fleet. The Americans had four large battleships and two smaller cruiser ships, whereas the Royal Spanish Navy only had four cruiser ships and two even smaller destroyer ships. Just like at Manila Bay, the Spanish were outgunned and all of their ships were sunk.

  • 1898 Treaty of Paris

    Spain’s only remaining fleet of ships returned to Spain, rather than facing the U.S. Navy and being sunk, which would have left Spain’s coasts vulnerable. At this point, Spain had no choice other than to ask the United States for peace. Peace was agreed with the 1898 Treaty of Paris. As the victors, the terms of the treaty greatly favored the United States. The United States took Cuba. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands from Spain.