From which navy was the cruiser "Reina Mercedes" captured by the USA in 1898?
Cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundred years, and has had different meanings throughout this period. During the Age of Sail, the term "cruising" referred to certain kinds of missions – independent scouting, commerce protection, or raiding – fulfilled by a frigate or sloop, which were the "cruising warships" of a fleet. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers, and can usually perform several roles.
Cámara's Flying Relief Column During the Spanish–American War of 1898, Cámara's Flying Relief Column was a naval task force of Spain's most powerful warships, under the command of Rear Admiral Manuel de la Cámara, tasked with relieving Spanish forces in Manila after the defeat of Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón by the American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. The Spanish fleet, consisting of the battleship "Pelayo", armored cruiser "Emperador Carlos V", auxiliary cruisers "Patriota" and "Rapido", destroyers "Audaz", "Osado", and "Prosepina", and transports "Buenos Aires" and "Panay", left Spain in June 1898. The squadron was far more powerful than that commanded by Dewey, which only consisted of four protected cruisers and two gunboats. The monitor USS "Monterey" had been ordered from the U.S. to the Philippines, and departed on 11 June.