He Fired When Ready-- Part 3: Dewey to Strike First and Hard

So, Charles Gridley finally had that plum command, the USS Olympia.  But then, on February 15, 1898, the USS Maine blew up while anchored in Havana Harbor, Cuba.  The relations between Spain, who controlled Cuba, and the United States had been worsening for years.

The American people, spurred on by a Yellow Press Campaign of Spanish misdeeds in Cuba, were upset about heavy-handed tactics the Spanish were using to put down Cubans who were striving for independence.  And, the American government and business interests were trying to find ways to grab Spain's colonial possessions and make them their own.

The commander of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron, George Dewey,  had been preparing for war for months.  He knew that Spain's hold on the Philippines was tenuous at best, and that if he moved swiftly, he could strike a first blow and weaken Spain's ability to resist.

Just as soon as war was declared, he moved fast to destroy the Spanish fleet operating out of  Manila in the Philippines.

--Cooter