"Admiral! They're not stopping! The enemy is moving directly into the minefield!"
"What?!" Ángel snatched the spyglass from an officer and focused on the fleet.
Leading the charge was a peculiar vessel, its prow heavily reinforced with steel plating. It spewed something into the water—a dark, metallic net—and with every drop, explosions rippled across the surface.
"They're detonating the mines!" Ángel shouted, realization dawning too late. "Target that lead ship! Forget the battleships—sink that one!"
But as the Spanish batteries hastily redirected their aim, Admiral Dewey seized the opening.
"Now! Focus all fire on the coastal artillery!"
The Spanish coastal defenses were unprepared for such a coordinated assault. Decades of neglect had left their artillery in disrepair, and the confidence of their admiral had bred complacency.
