📅 On May 1st, 1898, the Battle of Manila Bay unfolded between the American and Spanish fleets — a clash that decided the fate of the Spanish colonial empire in the Philippines and significantly influenced the outcome of the war. ⚓🔥
Although the forces were uneven, the battle itself makes for a perfect asymmetric scenario, with both sides having different objectives and coastal artillery playing a key role. To mark the anniversary, we decided to recreate the engagement using the rules of Gods of War: Togo and ships produced by GM Boardgames.
Will the Spanish David challenge the American Goliath? 🚢⚔️
⚓ American Squadron 🇺🇸
Commander: Commodore George Dewey
- USS Olympia (flagship)
- USS Baltimore
- USS Raleigh (Cincinnati-class)
- USS Boston (Atlanta-class)
- USS Concord (Yorktown-class)
- USS Petrel
⚓ Spanish Squadron 🇪🇸
Commander: Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo
- Reina Cristina (Alfonso XII-class)(flagship)
- Castilla (Castilla-class)
- Isla de Luzon
- Isla de Cuba (Isla de Luzon-class)
- Don Juan de Austria (Infanta Isabel-class)
- Don Antonio De Ulloa (Infanta Isabel-class)
- Marques del Duero (Fernando el Catolico-class)
- Torpedo steam pinnaces (on a single base)
Support:
- Fort Cavite (old guns)
- Sangley Point Battery
Montojo decided to face the American fleet defensively, setting his forces in Canacao Bay and hoping for support from nearby forts. However, Manila’s guns lacked the necessary range and played no role in the battle. Furthermore, several Spanish ships were immobilised due to repairs or engine failures.
Commodore Dewey had to make a crucial decision — whether to risk a decisive battle or proceed cautiously. Ultimately, he chose to enter Manila Bay and, on the morning of May 1st, 1898, gave battle to the Spanish.
Historically, the fight ended after several hours. At one point, there was even a pause due to a false report about ammunition issues — the American crews used this moment… to have breakfast! After resuming the battle, the Americans completely destroyed the Spanish squadron, with all Spanish ships either sunk or stranded in shallow waters.
This was the first major American victory of the war and sealed the fate of the Philippines, ending Spain’s colonial rule in the region. 🇺🇸🏆
Will our players repeat history?
Will the Americans crush the Spanish forces once again, or will a miracle occur in Manila Bay and Spain successfully defend itself?
📖 We invite you to read our battle report!

(source: Wikipedia)














It is clearly visible that the American squadron is heading further south to stay as much as possible out of range of the Sangley Point battery.



Will it play a role in this battle?

At first, the Spanish player kept them anchored, then ordered them to slowly move forward to stay as close as possible to Fort Cavite.


Will its guns help the Spanish?


They were clearly heading south, closer to Fort Cavite, while staying away from the Sangley Point battery.





The Spanish are clearly waiting to see what the Americans will do, while the American squadron is heading further south.


Will there be a collision?


Given her potential, that was not entirely impossible…

At first inaccurate, but soon hits will start landing…

At first inaccurate, but soon hits will start landing…


In the foreground, USS Olympia and USS Baltimore — the strongest ships in the squadron.
On the right, USS Concord, followed by Petrel, Boston, and Raleigh.

The template is used to check the field of fire.


USS Olympia, leading the American squadron, took on the initial burden of the fight. Nearby, USS Baltimore had also begun firing.
Boston and Raleigh were clearly moving more towards the centre of the battle area. The Spanish squadron had split into three groups:
Two Isla de Luzon-class ships and Don Juan de Austria were slowly moving south near Fort Cavite . The immobilised Castilla, Don Antonio De Ulloa, and Marques del Duero remained in the middle. Reina Cristina headed north, towards the Sangley Point battery


Nevertheless, she returned fire, but the first fires broke out on board.




Now, the American cruiser shifted her fire to new targets.

One of the hits reached the ammunition magazines, causing a small explosion and a fire (most likely in the magazines for the light-calibre guns).
For a moment, before the dice roll result was revealed, everyone waited in great suspense, wondering if the American flagship might blow up…



In the previous turn, Spanish torpedo boats (pinnaces) appeared on the battlefield. USS Olympia was bow-on to them and couldn’t fire effectively, nor could USS Baltimore.
At the start of Turn 8, the torpedo boats closed in on Olympia and… scored a hit with a torpedo! The explosion wasn’t massive, but:
➡️ It damaged the rudder — Olympia was forced to turn to port (left).
➡️ Water started flooding the hull, though the dangerous leaks were eventually sealed.



Fortunately, USS Petrel and USS Raleigh (in the background) were coming to her aid.


The fire from Fort Cavite proved to be largely ineffective — the old guns couldn’t do much. Meanwhile, the situation for USS Boston was critical, as she was under heavy fire. However, Reina Cristina was also badly damaged, both by Boston and USS Raleigh. The outcome of the battle seemed all but decided.



USS Olympia and USS Baltimore finished off and sank the second Isla de Luzon-class ship and Don Juan de Austria. Afterwards, USS Baltimore, supported by USS Raleigh, USS Petrel, and USS Concord, destroyed two immobilised Spanish ships — easy targets at that point. Finally, Reina Cristina, already heavily damaged by USS Boston and finished off by salvos from USS Raleigh, also sank to the bottom. By the end of the battle, no Spanish ships remained afloat… only wrecks marked the site of the fierce clash.

The Spanish lost all of their ships — none survived the battle.
The battle has come to an end — it ended in an American victory, although it was slightly smaller than in history 🇺🇸⚓.
The brave Spanish defenders put up a very good fight 🇪🇸🛡️.
Fort Cavite and the Sangley Point battery did not play a major role — either the American ships stayed too far away (good tactics), or the forts’ fire was too weak and inaccurate 🏰🔫.
Key moments included the ammunition magazine hit on USS Olympia and later a torpedo strike 🚢💥.
Even so, had Olympia been lost, the rest of the squadron was strong enough to secure victory ⚔️.
Most importantly, the battle was a lot of fun for everyone involved! 😄🎲
📢 Huge thanks to Łukasz, Krystian, and Mikołaj for the game, and to Bolter.pl for hosting us and providing a great gaming space 🫱⚓🫲.
In the future, we plan to play a second version of this battle, where:
➡️ The Americans will defend (with reinforcements) 🇺🇸🛡️
➡️ They will face an attack by Admiral Camara’s squadron (Pelayo, Emperador Carlos V, Rapido, etc.) 🇪🇸⚓
We will definitely write a battle report for that one as well! 📝🎮
Of course, the game was played using the Gods of War: Togo rules.