Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-10-24
SIMPSONS REPORT
On Fleet Movements in West
Indies Made Public.
Difficulties Of Keeping Our BIockading
Fleet in Position.
Interesting Correspondence Between Admiral
Sampson and Gen. Shafter.

/
Washington, Oct. 23.-The navy de-
partment has made public that portion
of Admiral SIMPSONS report covering
the conduct of the fleet under his COM
mand in its operations in the West In
dies for about two months prior to the
destruction of Admiral Cervera's ships,
July 3. 1t is made up largely of Off
cial dispatches and the movements of
the fleet, with exceptions and comment
by the admiral.
The report is dated August 3, on the
| flagship New York, and begins with a
statement of the determination reached
by the navy department to send a
squadron to the Windward Passage for
| the purpose of observation because of
information received of the sailing,
April 20, of Admiral Cervera's squad
ron from the Cape Verde Islands.
On the voyage eastward from the
naval base at Key West, which was
begun, May "a, Admiral Sampson re-
ports there was experienced endless
trouble and delay, because of the inef-
| ficiency of the two monitors, accom-
panying the ships and which had to be
taken in tow. Their coal supply was
SO small that it was at once evident
that they must either frequently coal
or be towed. The admiral says: Had
the sea been rough or had the enemy
appeared at this juncture, the squad
ron would have been in much better
position for an engagement had the
monitors been elsewhere.
| C1,hc ,,-hn
batteries of San Juan, it was evident
that their shooting was very bad. Ow-
ing to the quick rolling of these vessels,
even in very moderate sea, they were
unable to fire with any degree of accu-
racy."
Among the kilograms received by the
admiral from the department at Wash
ington, when off Cape Haytien, was the
following:
| Washington, D. c., May g.
DO not risk or cripple your vessels
| against Notifications so as to prevent
from soon afterward successfully fight
ing Spanish fleet composed of Pelayo.
Carlos ", Oquendo, Vizcaya, Maria
| Teresa, Cristobal Colon, four deep sea
torpedo boats, if they should appear on
this side.
(Signed) LONG"
On May s, there was a consultation
on board the flagship and the admiral
says that he decided to stand on to the
| eastward as far as San Juan, Porto
Rico, on the chance of finding the
| Spanish squadron in that port where
if they We're not successful in Destroy
! ing it, they could be at least blockaded
n md 1Nxl1
San Juan on the morning of the 18th
and the bombardment of the place en-
sued. Regarding his action at this
place the admiral says:
1T was clear to my own mind that
the squadron would not have any great
difficulty in forcing the surrender of
the place, but the fact that we should
be held several days in completing ar
rangements for holding it; that part
| of our force would have to be left to
| await the arrival of the troops to gar
rlson; that the movements of the
Spaninsh squadron, our main objective
were still unknown; that the flying
squadron was still north and not in a
position to render any aid: that Ha-
vana, Cervera's natural objective was
thus open to entry by such a force as
his, while we were 1000 miles distant,
made our immediate movement toward
Havana imperative. l thus reluctant
ly gave up the project against San
Juan and stood westward for Havana
Several kilograms are here presented
based on reports that Cervera's s SQUAD
ron had returned to Cadiz and they had
in view ito return and capture San
Juan, the leisure to do so and occupy
the place being assured in the event
of Admiral Cervera's failure to cross
the Atlantic"
Shortly after news was received that
the Spanish fleet had appeared off
Curacao, West Indies, and the squad
ron under orders from the department
proceeded to Key West to which place
the flying squadron under Commodore
(now AdmiraD Schley had already
been ordered. Arrangements were
then hurriedly made and the flying
squadron, augmented by other vessels 1
under Commodore Schley, was sent off
for Cienfuegos, where it was believed
the enemy would go, in which case an
effort was to be made to engage and
capture him. Sampson was given the
choice either of the command Of the
blockading squadron off Havana, or at
Cienfuegos. Schley in either case to re-
main with his own squadron.
From messages received by the ad-
miral from the department about May
20, it appears that reports had reached
the United States that the Spanish
fleet was at Santiago; SO the depart
ment advised Sampson to Immediately
send word to Schley to proceed to that
place, leaving one smallvessel off Cien-
fuegoS.
On May 81, instructions were writ
ten by Sampson for Commodore Schley
and sent to him via, the Marblehead,
regarding the possibility of the Span
ish fleet being at Santiago. They are
in part as follows:
CONTINUED on page ~