Fighting in Cuban Waters; Or, Under Schley on the Brooklyn

In the summer of 1898, the United States Navy is reshaping the balance of power in the Caribbean, and young Walter Russell wants in. Inspired by the navy’s victories against Spain, he leaves behind his civilian life to enlist aboard the Brooklyn, Commodore Winfield Schley's legendary flagship. But before he even reaches the ship, thieves rob him of everything, forcing him to navigate the streets of Key West with nothing but determination and nerve. Once aboard, Walter finds himself in the thick of the naval blockade of Santiago Bay, where American warships corner the Spanish fleet in a desperate last stand. The young sailor encounters the chaos of naval combat, the camaraderie of pressed crews, and the rapid-fire evolution of modern warfare. Written with the punch and purpose of late 19th-century juvenile adventure fiction, this is a book that understood its young readers could handle the weight of history. It captures a moment when America flexed its new naval muscle and asks what it means to serve something larger than yourself.