Why did the USS Maine sink in 1898?
Maine was sent to Havana Harbor to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban War of Independence. She exploded and sank on the evening of 15 February 1898, killing three-quarters of her crew. In 1898, a U.S. Navy board of inquiry ruled that the ship had been sunk by an external explosion from a mine.
Where was the USS Maine during the Spanish American War?
USS Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor in February 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April. American newspapers, engaging in yellow journalism to boost circulation, claimed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship’s destruction.
When was the explosion of the USS Maine?
For other ships of the same name, see USS Maine. This cartoon followed the explosion of the cruiser Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. King Alphonso XIII is shown playing with toy boats in Cuba and is about to suffer „Retribution“.
Why was the USS Maine named after the state of Maine?
Commissioned in 1895, she was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after the state of Maine. Maine and the similar battleship Texas were both represented as an advance in American warship design, reflecting the latest European naval developments.
Where was the USS Maine when it exploded?
February 15. The USS Maine explodes in Cuba’s Havana Harbor. A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than $2 million.
What was the cost of the USS Maine?
One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than $2 million.
Where was the USS Maine during the Cuban War?
In January 1898 the USS Maine was sent to the Havana in Cuba during the Cuban War of Independence to protect U.S. interests in the area. About 3 weeks later, at 9:40 p.m. on 15 February a large explosion occurred on the vessel while it was in Havana Harbor. The ship quickly sank and settled on the bottom of the harbor.