The Ordoñez Gun

The Ordoñez Gun. A “War Prize” from the Philippines – 1899. , The Presidio’s Ordoñez gun was originally mounted in a Spanish coastal fort at Subic Bay in the Philippines. Undamaged during the Spanish American War, the gun was captured by Filipino nationalists, who were known as “Insurrectos” by the occupying Americans., In September 1899, a combined U.S. Army-Navy force attacked the Filipino positions at Subic Bay. This gun was reported to have been destroyed by shellfire from the American cruiser USS Charleston. Some historians suggest that the damage was caused by the explosion of a shell within the gun., Following the war, numerous captured guns from the Philippines were brought to the United States as war prizes. Publisher William Randolph Hearst acquired this Ordoñez gun and presented it to the City of San Francisco. It was on display in Columbia Square Park until 1973, when the U.S. Army acquired the gun for display at the Presidio., This Ordoñez gun has been preserved in its battle-damaged state as a reminder of the U.S. Army soldiers who passed through the Presidio during the conflict in the Philippines, and their Spanish and Filipino opponents who manned the weapon.