from wikipedia:
Charles Vernon Gridley (24 November 1844 – 25 May 1898) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
Captain Gridley took command of the Olympia, Admiral George Dewey's famous flagship on 27 April 1898. During the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898, Dewey gave his famous command, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," immortalizing the captain.
After the destruction of the Spanish fleet and the capture of Manila, Gridley was obliged to leave his command because of his health, and died en route to the United States at Kobe, Japan.
Supposedly, the Spanish ships Gridley fired on were attacking US ships. They weren't. But somebody wanted a war started--maybe Hearst?--and that did it. Just goes to show that the Gulf of Tonkin was NOT an isolated incident. The US is REALLY good at shit-stirring.