BATTLE OF SANTIAGO. 
327 
well. The official diagrams show that while she was naturally the 
least protected of the ships engaged she received most fire. The 
analysis of hits made from the official records in the Scientific 
American of September 10th shows that she scored most hits.* The 
largest total of hits made by guns above 6-pr., is that of 5-in. 
projectiles, and these were only carried by the Brooklyn, and were 
delivered on all four Spanish ships. There is strong reason to credit 
her with a large share of the 8-in., and, if so, of other calibres, but the 
5-in. record speaks positively for itself. On the Brooklyn alone was 
a man struck (viz. one killed and one wounded)) and she naturally led 
the chase. Surely justice compels us to say that the ship which led 
the chase was under the hottest fire, was selected as the target, and 
was meant to be rammed, and which apparently scored most hits on 
the enemy, was the vessel that was favoured by circumstances to take 
the most prominent part in the battle. 
In closing, I would ask whether we have not reason to congratulate 
our Navy that we have not yielded to the cry of a complete thick water 
line belt at the cost of continuous protection on the upper structure. 
This applies to battle-ships and cruisers alike. In “ Brassey ; s Annual ” 
for 1897, I instanced the Charlemagne, launched in 1895, as a ship 
open to destruction in every form by common 6-in. shells and liable to 
be reduced to the condition of a floating ruin, and the Kaiser 
Friedrich III class, the first of which was launched in 1897, are in no 
better case. The contrast of the Colon with her consorts ought to impress 
upon us the desirability of recognising ships. The attack by heavy 
armour-piercers, which was needed for the Colon, would have injured the 
other Spanish cruisers little indeed compared with shell fire. Un¬ 
doubtedly the latter is the attack to make in case of doubt, and is 
generally the best, but the existence of ships with their upper 
structures covered with 6-in. Harveyed plates, a class likely to come 
in now, shows the desirability of identifying an enemy and of attacking 
with discrimination. 
* Official Table of Bits made on the Spanish Cruisers at Santiago showing 
the Number of United States Guns Firing on them. 
(From the “ Scientific American f) 
Nature of United States Number of bits on Spanish ships. ff 0 . 0 fUnited 
projectiles. 
Teresa. Oquendo. Vizcaya. 
———" "x 
Colon. Total. 
States guns, 
6-pounder . 
.17 
... 43 
... 13 .. 
,. 4 .. 
. 77 
... 42 
lin.. . 
. 2 
... — 
... — 
, — ., 
,. 2 
... 13 
4in. ... .. 
. 1 
... 7 
... 4 .. 
. — 
, 12 
3 
6in. 
. 3 
... 3 
... ' 7 .. 
. 2 .. 
. 15 . 
6 
6in. 
. 1 
... 1 
— ., 
. 1 .. 
. 3 . 
7 
8in. 
. 3 
... 3 
5 .. 
. 1 .. 
12 , 
... 18 
12in. 
. 2 
... — 
— .. 
. — ., 
.. 2 , 
6 
13in. 
.— 
... — 
■— .. 
.. — .. 
— , 
8 
29 
67 
29 
8 
123 
103 
Hits per 
gun. - 
.> 1-83 if 
.f^O-16 
. 4-0 
. 2-5 
. 0*43 
. 0-67 
. 0-33 
. o-oo a 
