First Battle of Manzanillo The First Battle of Manzanillo was a series of naval engagements during the Spanish American War on 30 June 1898 in and outside of the harbor of Manzanillo , Cuba . Three American gunboats were forced to retire after attacking a squadron of Spanish gunboats and auxiliaries . Background . After the blockade of Santiago , the Spanish attempted to resupply the city by taking in provisions from ports on the southern coast of Cuba that were not blockaded . Aware of the situation , the American consul at Kingston sent word to the military that the Spanish were preparing to send a resupply convoy from that city to the southern coast . To thwart these efforts , on 28 June President McKinley extended the blockade to include the southern coast of Cuba as well as Puerto Rico . In order to enforce the blockade , a flotilla of gunboats and auxiliaries — including the , , and — was sent to patrol the area . The three American vessels began operations by conducting reconnaissance of the area between Santa Cruz and Manzanillo . Battle . Action at Niguero . While patrolling near the Niguero Bay , the small , Spanish gunboat " Centinela " was sighted , and the Americans decided to engage her . Since " Wompatuck " had a deep draft , " Hornet " and " Hist " moved in close to engage the vessel . Upon nearing her , " Centinela " opened fire with her two Maxim guns . Spanish troops from the shore also began firing on the Americans but were chased away when their fire was returned . " Centinela " aft gun was knocked out , and the vessel then attempted to escape by maneuvering behind a small cay out of the American ' s line of sight . This effort proved futile though , since the Americans still managed to hit the vessel , which was run aground by her crew . However , " Centinela " would later be refloated and join the Spanish squadron at Manzanillo . Action at Manzanillo . The three gunboats then continued towards Manzanillo , where they were spotted by a squadron of Spanish vessels which consisted of the gunboats " Guantánamo " , " Estrella " and " Delgado Parejo " , each one crewed by 19 sailors and officers , plus three armed pontoons . The pontoons were " Guardián " , crewed by four gunners manning an old Parrott gun , " Cuba Española " , an old wooden gunboat armed with a Parrott gun and crewed by seven men , and an old sailboat used as a barracks ship . There were also many commercial vessels in port . The Americans opened fire at 15 : 20 , and the Spanish accurately responded , hitting all three of the ships several times . " Hist " took several hits , including some near its engine room , and " Hornet " took a disabling shot to its main steam pipe , severely scalding three men , at least one of which died . Contrary to the American reports , " Hist " did not sink any Spanish boats before " Hornet " was towed out of action by " Wompatuck " , which had only been damaged lightly compared to the other American vessels . As " Wompatuck " began to tow " Hornet " , the Spanish began to fire on those vessels . Starting to take damage and casualties , the Americans decided to withdraw , since their gunboats ' armaments were not enough to destroy the rest of the Spanish squadron . Aftermath . Two vessels sent to rendezvous with the Americans arrived a day later , and made another attempt at silencing the Spaniards but were also repulsed . The Spanish vessels were later repaired , leaving the squadron mostly intact . More reinforcements would arrive by mid - July , and on the 18th a third decisive engagement was fought , finally destroying the small Spanish fleet once and for all . Although the fleet was destroyed , the town ' s garrison continued to hold out until August , when the Fourth Battle of Manzanillo was fought .