sentences:  He was one of eight volunteer crew members of the collier , which Rear Admiral William T. Sampson ordered sunk to block the entrance of Santiago Harbor, Cuba.On the night of June 2–3, 1898, during the attempt to execute this mission, "Merrimac"s steering gear was disabled by enemy gunfire, and she sank without obstructing navigation.Her crewmen were rescued by the Spanish and made prisoners-of-war.