Two of the Indiana-class battleships were built on the U.S. East Coast and the Oregon on the West Coast. The Oregon was commissioned on 15 July 1896 and joined the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
On 15 February 1898, the USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, Cuba, during rising tensions between Spain and the U.S.. The Oregon was in dry dock at the time and was refloated the next day and placed under the command of Captain Charles Edgar Clark and ordered to steam the U.S. East Coast to join the North Atlantic Fleet and arrived after a 16,000 mile journey in just 66 days.
While passing through the Cape Horn the ship encountered a horrific storm (these three battleships had very low freeboards and did not do well in rough seas). This was before the Panama Canal was built and became a major reason for its construction.
The Oregon arrived in Key West on 26 May and joined the North Atlantic Squadron under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson. The Spanish fleet had been located and blockaded in the harbor of Santo de Cuba, Cuba. The Spanish squadron was under the command of Rear Admiral Pasqual Cervera y Topete and consisted of the armored cruisers Infanta Maria Teresa, Cristobol Colon, Vizcaya and Almirante Oquendo and destroyers Pluton and Furor.
--Cooter
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