<P> The first battle between American and Spanish forces was at Manila Bay where , on May 1 , Commodore George Dewey , commanding the U.S. Navy 's Asiatic Squadron aboard USS Olympia , in a matter of hours defeated a Spanish squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo . Dewey managed this with only nine wounded . With the German seizure of Tsingtao in 1897 , Dewey 's squadron had become the only naval force in the Far East without a local base of its own , and was beset with coal and ammunition problems . Despite these problems , the Asiatic Squadron not only destroyed the Spanish fleet but also captured the harbor of Manila . </P>
<P> The first battle between American and Spanish forces was at Manila Bay where , on May 1 , Commodore George Dewey , commanding the U.S. Navy 's Asiatic Squadron aboard USS Olympia , in a matter of hours defeated a Spanish squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo . Dewey managed this with only nine wounded . With the German seizure of Tsingtao in 1897 , Dewey 's squadron had become the only naval force in the Far East without a local base of its own , and was beset with coal and ammunition problems . Despite these problems , the Asiatic Squadron not only destroyed the Spanish fleet but also captured the harbor of Manila . </P>
where did fighting began in spanish american war
where did fighting began in spanish american war
Manila Bay
Manila Bay