SNS Viscaya and SNS Almirante Oquendo [Plaque]

Object/Artifact

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The Lew Anvil Collection

Name/Title

SNS Viscaya and SNS Almirante Oquendo [Plaque]

Description

“Cast from the metal taken from the Spanish armored cruisers Viscaya and Almirante Oquendo destroyed by the United States Navy / July 3rd 1898”

Context

“We put a regular torrent of shells into the Vizcaya. The Brooklyn was abeam of her, about two miles outside; the Oregon was nearly abeam, half a mile further in shore; and the Texas was on the starboard quarter of the Oregon and about a mile astern of her. All three were steering parallel courses to the westward. We were all firing at her, but her crew, with a most striking and persistent tenacity, remained by their guns, until she, too, had to head for the beach, where she was hard and fast at 11:05. At 11:30, a terrific explosion took place on board, tearing a hole in her large enough for a furniture van to go through with the greatest of ease.” - Chaplain Harry Jones, The Battle of Santiago, onboard the USS Texas