Spanish cruiser Reina Cristina Reina Cristina was an " Alfonso XII " - class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy which fought in the Battle of Manila Bay . Technical Characteristics . " Reina Cristina " was built at the naval shipyard at Ferrol and launched 2 May 1887 . She had two funnels . Her main armament was built by Hontoria and sponson - mounted . Her five torpedo tubes were all fixed ; two were forward , one was on each beam , and one was aft . Although unprotected and therefore lacking armor , she had 12 watertight compartments built in a French - style cellular system to help her resist flooding . She was designed for colonial service , combining high speed with a moderate level of armament ; due to chronic boiler problems , however , her designed top speed proved unattainable , and in practice her top speed was about 10 knots . Her design made her unsuited to combat with the types of heavily armed and armored ships she was destined to meet in Manila Bay in 1898 . Operational history . " Reina Cristina " spent her early years in Spanish waters . In 1894 she was transferred to the Spanish Navy ' s Asiatic Squadron to deter any aggressive moves the German Empire might take against the Spanish - owned Caroline Islands in the Pacific . She became flagship of the squadron . When Spain faced the " Tagalog Revolt " ( 1896 – 1897 ) – the Spanish name for the first two years of the Philippine Revolution – in the Philippine Islands , " Reina Cristina " was actively involved in the Spanish campaign to put down the revolt . In addition to patrolling Philippine waters to prevent the smuggling of contraband to the insurgents , she also supported Spanish Army actions against them at Cavite , Novaleta , and Binacayan , including the provision of naval gunfire support to Spanish troops ashore . " Reina Cristina " was the flagship of Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo de Pasaron ' s Pacific Squadron at Manila in the Philippine Islands when the Spanish - American War broke out in April 1898 . At 1100 hours on 25 April 1898 , " Reina Cristina " and the rest of the squadron departed Manila Bay en route Subic Bay , where Montojo thought he could take advantage of a minefield and coastal defense guns in the face of the American naval attack he believed his squadron soon would face . However , when Montojo arrived at Subic Bay , he found that few of the mines had been laid and the coastal battery had not yet been mounted . On 28 April 1898 Montojo decided that the Spanish squadron would be better off if it returned to Manila Bay and offered battle at Cavite , where coastal guns could support him and where the shallow water would reduce the loss of life if his ships were sunk . At 1030 on 29 April 1898 , " Reina Cristina " and the rest of the squadron departed Subic Bay . Her squadron mate , the wooden cruiser " Castilla " , was unable to get underway due to engine trouble , so " Reina Cristina " took her under tow for the voyage . The squadron arrived at Cavite later that day and anchored in Cañacao Bay under the lee of the Cavite Peninsula east of Sangley Point , Luzon , eight miles southwest of Manila . At 0400 hours on 1 May 1898 , Montojo ' s squadron was still anchored there when he signalled all ships to prepare for action , and " Reina Cristina " readied herself to meet an imminent American attack . Just before 0500 hours , the United States Navy ' s Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey was sighted , approaching to attack the Spanish ships in their anchorage . In a few minutes , the first shots of the Battle of Manila Bay , the first major engagement of the Spanish - American War , were fired . " Reina Cristina " slipped her mooring cables and prepared to maneuver . At 0520 hours , she opened fire along with the rest of her squadron and the Spanish coastal batteries , although Dewey ' s ships were out of range . Finally , at 0540 hours , the U . S . squadron returned fire , with cruisers USS " Olympia " , " USS Baltimore " , and " USS Boston " concentrating their fire on " Reina Cristina " . Soon thereafter , " Reina Cristina " was hit twice in rapid succession as Dewey ' s squadron steamed past ; the hits knocked out several of her light guns and started fires , although her crew quickly put the fires out . The American squadron then reversed course and made a second pass . This time , " Reina Cristina " ' s casualties began to mount as she took numerous hits , including to her forecastle and hull ; new fires broke out , and Montojo ordered her after magazine flooded to prevent a catastrophic magazine explosion . Dewey ' s ships then again reversed course and made a third firing pass . As the American squadron again reversed course to make a fourth pass , Montojo ordered " Reina Cristina " to get underway . She steamed slowly toward Dewey ' s flagship , " Olympia " , with an intention of ramming " Olympia " . This prompted Dewey to order his squadron to close with and concentrate fire on " Reina Cristina " , and the range of the one - sided fight quickly closed to 1 , 200 yards ( 1 , 097 m ) . " Reina Cristina " soon was afire in several places , with most of her guns knocked out , her steering gear shot away , many holes blown in her hull , funnel , and mast , and half of her crew , including seven officers , killed or wounded . Viewing " Reina Cristina " as beyond saving and fearing her magazines would explode , Montojo ordered her scuttled and abandoned . Gunboats " Isla de Cuba " and " Isla de Luzon " came alongside to take off the wounded as American gunfire continued to pummel " Reina Cristina " and inflict casualties ; among them was " Reina Cristina " ' s commanding officer , Captain Luis Cadarso y Rey , who refused to abandon ship until all his men were off before him and who was killed by an American shell while overseeing the abandonment of his cruiser . " Reina Cristina " , a burning wreck , soon sank .