Cervera found patchy armament and a squadron that had not conducted a proper fleet exercise since the 1884 crisis over the Caroline Islands. He wanted to return to Spain, complete repairs and weapons fits, and gather additional ships before risking battle. Ordered across the Atlantic instead, he evaded the American squadrons and entered Santiago, briefly turning his location and survival into strategic leverage as a fleet in being. When the attempted sinking of USS Merrimac failed to block the harbour, Cervera personally protected its captured American crew and made their safety known despite his own expectation that the Spanish squadron would be destroyed.
Chapter · 1:05:56-1:10:40
Cervera objects to a mission his squadron cannot sustain
Years without fleet exercises and incomplete repairs led Cervera to predict destruction, yet political orders sent his squadron across the Atlantic and ultimately into Santiago.