[2] She had a large beam for her length, and tended to have poor seakeeping qualities, burying her bow into waves.

She was anchored with the squadron in Cañacao Bay under the lee of the Cavite Peninsula east of Sangley Point, Luzon, eight miles southwest of Manila, when, early on the morning of 1 May 1898, the United States Navy's Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey, found Montojo's anchorage and attacked.

[3] The American squadron made a series of firing passes, wreaking great havoc on the Spanish ships.

[1] With Montojo's squadron battered into submission, Isla de Luzón was scuttled in shallow water to avoid capture.

After she sank, her upper works remained above water, and a team from gunboat USS Petrel went aboard and set her on fire.