Which Spanish armored cruiser ran aground after fleeing Santiago Bay on July 3, 1898?

The Spanish armored cruiser that ran aground after fleeing Santiago Bay on July 3, 1898, was Cristóbal Colón.

Cristóbal Colón was the last major Spanish ship still trying to escape during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. She was third in the Spanish line as Admiral Pascual Cervera’s squadron left the harbor. While Infanta María Teresa and Vizcaya turned toward the American blockade, Cristóbal Colón and Almirante Oquendo initially pushed west in a stern chase.

For a time, Colón appeared capable of escaping because she was fast and had taken relatively little damage. Her prospects deteriorated when she exhausted her supply of high-quality coal and had to rely on inferior fuel. American ships, especially USS Oregon, USS Brooklyn, and USS New York, gradually closed the distance and fired on her.

At about 1:15 p.m., after a chase of roughly 50 miles, Captain Emilio Díaz-Moreu ordered the cruiser toward shore near the mouth of the Turquino River, about 75 miles west of Santiago. The crew opened her sea valves to prevent capture. A U.S. salvage effort later towed the wreck off the rocks, but the scuttled ship quickly capsized and sank.