What was the flagship of Admiral George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay?

USS Olympia was the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay. On May 1, 1898, Dewey led the U.S. Asiatic Squadron from Olympia against the Spanish Pacific Squadron in the opening major naval engagement of the Spanish-American War.

Olympia was a protected cruiser commissioned in 1895 and was among the most modern ships in the American squadron. From her deck, Dewey directed the battle, while Captain Charles Vernon Gridley commanded the ship. Dewey's famous order, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,” began Olympia's attack on the Spanish fleet.

The American victory destroyed or disabled the Spanish force and gave the United States control of Manila Bay. Olympia was not the largest American warship associated with the wider war, and USS Oregon fought in the Caribbean, but neither was Dewey's flagship at Manila Bay. Olympia later became a museum ship in Philadelphia, where she remains preserved.