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| Asiatic Squadron | |
|---|---|
 The Asiatic Squadron defeating the Spanish fleet in theBattle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898. | |
| Active | 1868–1902 |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Type | Naval squadron |
TheAsiatic Squadron was asquadron ofUnited States Navywarships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when theEast India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily involved in matters relating to American commerce withChina andJapan, though it participated in several conflicts over 34 years of service until becoming theAsiatic Fleet in 1902.
In May 1871,Rear AdmiralJohn Rodgers went to Korea, commanding an expedition of five Asiatic Squadron vessels, thescrew frigateUSS Colorado, thescrewsloops-of-warUSS Alaska andUSS Benicia, thesidewheelgunboatUSS Monocacy, and the screwtugUSS Palos. The objective of the operation was to ascertain the fate of the merchant shipSSGeneral Sherman, establish trade relations, and receive an assurance from theJoseon government that shipwrecked American sailors would be safely treated should they become stranded in Korea.
On 1 June 1871, while Rear Admiral Rodgers was negotiating inInchon, one of the Selee River forts opened fire onPalos as she traversed the Gangwha Straits. In thefollowing engagement,Palos andMonocacy bombarded the fort until it was silenced and on 10 June 1871, the expeditionattacked in force. Five of the six hostile forts were captured and destroyed, over 200 Koreans were killed and dozens of cannons were captured. Although the Americans won a military victory, the Koreans refused to sign a trade treaty until 1882.
On 27 April 1898, the squadron, composed of theprotected cruisersUSS Olympia (theflagship of the squadron's commander,CommodoreGeorge Dewey),USS Baltimore,USS Raleigh, andUSS Boston, the gunboatsUSS Petrel andUSS Concord, and theUnited States Revenue Cutter ServicecutterUSS McCulloch, sailed fromMirs Bay, China, to thePhilippine Islands to participate in theSpanish–American War.
In theBattle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898, the squadron destroyed theSpanish fleet in the Philippines, and effectively took control ofManila Bay. Eight Spanish ships were sunk and over 150 killed while the Americans suffered only slight damage. Vessels of the squadron also fought the Spanish in thebattle to captureManila. Naval gunfire on the Spaniards' left flank helped American troops take the city without severe losses. The Philippines became an American possession.
On 20 June 1898, the Asiatic Squadron protected cruiserUSS CharlestoncapturedGuam from the Spanish without resistance, beginning the American possession of the island.
The Asiatic Squadron participated in thePhilippine–American War from 1899 until its disbandment in 1902. American naval forces operated by sending landing parties ashore and by providing them with naval gunfire support. From 1899 to 1902, the squadron conducted several missions against the Filipinos.
Dewey's squadron engaged in naval operation against the Filipinos during and after the 1898 Battle of Manila against the Spanish. At the beginning of the Philippine–American War in February 1899, several American warships supported the occupation of the Philippine Islands. At the same time, themonitorUSS Monadnock, the protected cruisersCharleston, and the gunboatsConcord,USS Callao, andLaguna de Bay bombarded Filipino positions during theBattle of Caloocan. Over 300 Filipinos were killed in action and three times as many wounded, with many of the casualties attributed to accurate naval gunfire. USSPetrel and USSBoston shelledPanay Island on 11 February 1899, and, on 22 February 1899, a landing party fromPetrel occupiedCebu. In October 1899,Petrel joinedCallao in supporting American troops in theBattle of Noveleta by bombarding Filipino troop concentrations atNoveleta before a shore party made its assault.
Many of the captured Spanish gunboats used in the Philippine–American War were manned byUnited States Army troops and operated together with United States Navy forces. In mid-April 1899,GeneralHenry Lawton led an expedition of 1,500 men in severalcascoes and three gunboats to a place near Santa Cruz to find another former Spanish gunboat which was being used by the Filipinos; during the ensuingBattle of Santa Cruz, the American force captured sixsteamlaunches along with two cascoes, and later took the Filipino gunboat, which the Filipinos reportedly had disarmed so that they could use her guns on land, without a fight.
Baltimore andPetrel served at theBattle of Iloilo, in which about 1,000 Filipinos were defeated when the two warships bombarded the fort there and sentUnited States Marines and sailors ashore. Only minor skirmishing occurred on land because the Filipinos retreated and burned the town as they left.
On 7 May 1899,Laguna de Bay and another gunboatbombardedSexmoan and routed the Filipinos there. Later that day, the gunboatsfought atGuagua, where they bombarded Filipino positions in the town and sent men ashore to fight on the ground. Again the Filipinos retreated and set several buildings on fire as they went.
In June 1899, American gunboats silenced anartillery piece during theBattle of Zapote River, which ended with an American victory.
In the summer of 1899, American gunboats started patrollingSubic Bay. During a routine patrol, thecollierUSS Zafiro entered Subic Bay and came under fire from ashore battery protectingOlongapo.Zafiro withdrew toCavite and reported the incident to headquarters. In response,Charleston engaged the battery. On 23 September 1899,Charleston,Concord, the monitorUSS Monterey, andZafiro steamed into Subic Bay and destroyed the battery in theBattle of Olongapo. Then, acompany of U.S. Marines and sailors landed and took control.
Charleston grounded on an uncharted reef offCamiguin Island on 2 November 1899. She sustained heavy damage, and her crew abandoned ship and escaped to the nearby island where they made camp.Charleston's launch was sent out for help and, after ten days of beingmarooned, the American sailors were rescued by the gunboatUSS Helena.
On 7 November 1899,HelenabombardedSan Fabian inLingayen Gulf and covered the landing of 2,500 American troops there.
Asiatic Squadron gunboats took part in theBattle of Mabitac in June 1900, where they bombarded Filipino forces while U.S. Army troops attacked their fortifications. In a bloody frontal assault the American troops were repulsed and the Filipinos won the battle.
In November 1900, the Asiatic Squadronauxiliary cruiserUSS Yosemite was heavily damaged in atyphoon while inApra Harbor, Guam. Due to damage to her screw, her crew scuttled her. They were picked up later by the collierUSS Justin.
The gunboatUSS Vicksburg assisted land forces in capturing the Filipino rebelEmilio Aguinaldo in March 1901 atPalawan Island. Later the gunboatUSS Isla de Luzon supported the operation which led to the capture of the Filipino generalVicente Lukbán onSamar in November 1901.
During theBoxer Rebellion, the Asiatic Squadron participated in theChina Relief Expedition in 1900. At the time, Peking was home to many foreigners who were undersiege by Boxer rebels. An international force including U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy sailors of the Asiatic Squadron slowlyfought their way to take control ofTientsin away from the Boxers in order to relieve theSiege of the International Legations atPeking.
In 1902, the Asiatic Squadron was upgraded in status, becoming theUnited States Asiatic Fleet. Except for a period from early 1907 until 28 January 1910 when it was downgraded to the status of First Squadron,United States Pacific Fleet, the Asiatic Fleet replaced the Asiatic Squadron in defending American interests in East Asia from 1902 until February 1942.
Successive Commanders-in-Chief of the Asiatic Squadron were as follows:[1]
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