<P> Before taking command of the Spanish Caribbean Squadron, Cervera had served a variety of military and political roles, retiring after a dispute with opposing politicians . However, when war with the United States broke, Cervera was recalled into the Spanish Navy and given command of the Caribbean Squadron . This squadron was to be dispatched from Spain with the ultimate destination of the Caribbean, initially Puerto Rico but then changed to Cuba, to reinforce the Spanish garrison, to defend the island from American invasion, and to break the American naval blockade . Before the outbreak of war, Cervera attempted in vain to inform Spanish officials of its weakness relative to the American navy . Captain Fernando Villaamil, the Second Officer in the Ministry of the Navy and a pioneer in destroyer warfare, disagreed with Cervera's passivity, advocating instead that Spain offset American naval superiority by scattering the fleet and taking the initiative through quick and dispersed actions . A lack of consensus between Cervera, Villaamil, and the Spanish government put Spanish naval strategy in flux from the beginning . </P> <P> On April 29, Cervera steamed from Cape Verde . Panic gripped the U.S. populace, who did not know what his ships might do: attack the largely undefended East Coast while the fleet sailed about in an effort to engage him, prey upon American shipping, or perhaps sail up the Potomac and set fire to Washington, D.C. Ultimately, Cervera did none of these, managing to evade the U.S. fleet for several weeks, confounding his American counterparts, and re-coaling in the process before finally seeking refuge in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba . On May 29, 1898, an American squadron sighted Cervera's newest ship, the Cristobal Colon, and immediately established a blockade around the mouth of the harbor . The Spanish soon found themselves "blockaded closely by an American semicircle of ships about six miles from the Morro by day, and moving discreetly closer after nightfall ." Moreover, by early July the Spanish were nearly surrounded at Santiago from the east by an advancing American army numbering some 16,000 soldiers, by 3,000 Cuban insurgents to the west, and by the American fleet to the south . </P> <P> The Spanish squadron consisted of the cruisers Almirante Oquendo, Vizcaya, Infanta Maria Teresa, and Cristóbal Colón in addition to Villaamil's destroyers Pluton and Furor . The cruisers displaced approximately 7,000 tons each, but they were not heavily armored, nor did their armament match the Americans . With the exception of the Colón, which was more lightly armed, these cruisers main armament consisted of two 11 - inch guns each and a secondary armament of ten 5.5 inch guns . Cervera's fleet was at a further disadvantage relative to the Americans because of the condition of its ships . The breech mechanisms in many of the Spanish guns were dangerously faulty, causing jams and other mishaps . Many of the ships' boilers were in need of repair; several ships, including the Viscaya, desperately needed bottom - cleaning as they were suffering from extra drag due to fouling; the most well - protected ship in Cervera's fleet, the second - generation armored cruiser Cristobal Colon, had not even had her main battery installed and carried wooden dummy guns instead . Finally, Cervera's crews were poorly - trained . They lacked experience and practice in gunnery drills, and their training had emphasized rapid fire at regular intervals in contrast to the Americans who favored more deliberate aimed fire . Relative to the Americans' fleet, which consisted mainly of modern battleships, Cervera's force was lightly armed, a result of recent budget cuts but also a naval policy that for many years favored the construction of light, swift ships to patrol their far - flung oceanic empire . </P> <P> With Cervera's fleet bottled in Santiago, Captain General Ramon Blanco y Erenas, the top military commander in Cuba, ordered it to sortie from the harbor along the coast westward to Cienfuegos . In Cervera's eyes, the escape from the bay seemed nearly impossible . He strongly considered fleeing under protection of night, but opted to sail by day instead to ensure the safe navigation of his ships through Santiago's narrow channel . On Sunday July 3, 1898, Cervera, aboard his flagship the Infanta Maria Teresa, led the Spanish fleet out of the safety of Santiago harbor at seven minute intervals . </P>

Where did the us navy meet the spanish fleet in the caribbean