Which U.S. armored cruiser was Admiral Sampson's flagship off Santiago de Cuba?

Admiral Sampson’s flagship off Santiago de Cuba was the armored cruiser USS New York.

New York served as the flagship of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, commander of the U.S. Navy’s North Atlantic Squadron. It was a fast, heavily armed armored cruiser, making it valuable for command duties and for chasing Spanish ships attempting to escape Santiago Harbor. The ship carried a main battery of 8-inch guns and could steam faster than most of the American squadron.

On July 3, 1898, Sampson temporarily left the blockade line aboard New York to confer with Army commander William R. Shafter at Siboney. Spanish Admiral Pascual Cervera’s fleet broke out during that absence. Commodore Winfield Scott Schley then directed the immediate battle from his flagship, the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn.

That temporary change in tactical command causes a frequent mix-up: Brooklyn was Schley’s flagship and the vessel at the center of the fighting, but New York remained Sampson’s flagship. After receiving word of the breakout, Sampson turned New York around and raced toward the action, later joining the pursuit of Cristóbal Colón.