Training and firepower decide Manila Bay

Dewey's squadron reached Manila Bay on the morning of 1 May and found Montojo's ships anchored close to shore defenses. Olympia opened fire on the Spanish flagship, although American and Spanish accounts disagree over whether the first shell hit. Months of preparation gave the Americans a marked advantage in gunnery over their poorly trained opponents. The famous breakfast pause followed a mistaken report that five-inch ammunition was running low, but a magazine check showed that most of it remained. Dewey returned at 11:15 and resumed the attack, leaving the Spanish squadron destroyed while his own ships remained largely undamaged.