Third Battle of San Juan (1898)

Third Battle of San Juan

The burned out hulk of the blockade runner SS Antonio Lopez

Date	28 June 1898
Location	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Result	Successful Spanish resupply mission

Belligerents

Spanish Navy

United States Navy

Commanders and leaders

unknown

Commander William Emory

Strength

1 unprotected cruiser
2 gunboats
1 blockade runner
1 castle
1 fort

1 auxiliary cruiser

Casualties and losses

1 blockade runner destroyed
5 wounded

none

The Third Battle of San Juan began on 28 June 1898 when an American auxiliary cruiser intercepted a Spanish blockade runner. A Spanish squadron attempted to rescue the blockade runner and succeeded in taking off supplies and her crew but failed to save the ship, which the American warship engaged and forced to run aground.

Puerto Rico had been under attack by US Navy forces under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson since just before the Bombardment of San Juan early on in the war. The only Spanish effort to break the blockading forces had failed on 22 June, and instead of actively engaging the Americans the Spanish forces were bottled up in harbor at the capital of San Juan.Blockade runners had on occasion slipped through the San Juan Blockade, but were often driven away or captured before ever nearing the harbor. The SS Antonio Lopez was a transport turned blockade runner that had been disarmed and fitted out at Cadiz, Spain and set sail on June 16 for San Juan with a large supply of cargo, food, and twelve modern artillery pieces to bolster the defense of San Juan. On 28 June, she was met by the American auxiliary cruiser USS Yosemite which had just relieved the USS Saint Paul as the blockading ship off San Juan. The auxiliary cruiser was crewed by members of the Michigan Naval Militia and commanded by William Emory.

With the blockade runner in sight, Yosemite began chase and opened fire on the vessel firing a shot. Antonio Lopez wasted no time and began to flee towards the protection of San Juan's Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort El Cañuelo while Yosemite kept up its fire upon the vessel. As she was running for San Juan, the blockade runner became up on a reef, as the captain was quite unfamiliar with the waters in the area. Unable to free his vessel and taking casualties, the captain of the Spanish vessel ordered his crew to abandon ship. As the American vessel closed in on her prey, the Spanish forts opened fire and Emory began zig-zagging in order to avoid taking their fire.

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Wikipedia