The governor-general of the Philippines warned Madrid in March that George Dewey had orders to move against Manila. Unlike other major powers' regional squadrons, the American force had no secure base or supporting infrastructure of its own in East Asia. Theodore Roosevelt's instructions told Dewey to concentrate at British-controlled Hong Kong, keep the squadron full of coal, and prevent Spain's Asian ships from leaving the coast if war came. That access allowed Dewey to depart on about 27 April and reach Manila Bay for the first battle of the war on 1 May. The sequence shows how prewar orders and a friendly foreign port converted a distant cruiser squadron into an immediately usable expeditionary force.
Chapter · 23:47-27:08
Dewey's orders and the Hong Kong logistical springboard
Roosevelt's instructions sent Dewey's Asiatic Squadron to British Hong Kong, where coal and concentration space made an unsupported American force ready for an attack on Spain's Philippine position.