The Destruction of the Spanish Fleet outside Santiago Harbour. Admiral Cervera; in command of a squadron; was sent to Cuba at the commencement of the Spanish-American War to protect Spanish interests; and took refuge in Santiago harbour on 19 May 1898. On 29 the American fleet; under Admiral Sampson; blockaded Santiago; as it was found impracticable to attack the enemy's ships inside the harbour. The desperate effort made by Cervera on 3 July to save his ships by escaping to sea resulted in the total destruction of his squadron by the Americans; and the capture of the Spanish admiral himself. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson; c.1920).