The Puerto Rico campaign relied heavily on auxiliary cruisers rather than a force composed only of purpose-built warships. Converted ships used superior firepower against the small Spanish torpedo craft Terror and accompanying vessels during the fighting around San Juan. Across the campaign, American cruisers, auxiliaries, and gunboats also captured numerous ships, making commerce seizure a central part of the operational picture. It was an economic cruiser war writ large, where blockade presence and control of merchant movement mattered alongside formal battle.
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Auxiliary cruisers carry the war to Puerto Rico
Converted merchant ships supplied much of the American strength around Puerto Rico, overpowering Spain's small torpedo craft and capturing shipping in an economic cruiser war.