Research Guides: Spanish American War: USS Maine

Reference

MAINE, USS, SINKING OF: Credo Reference
In January 1898, Spanish military forces had begun to turn the tide against Cuban insurrectionists, but they faced pressure from the U.S. president William McKinley to make concessions. When in response to reforms from Madrid, Spanish officers and Cuban loyalists rioted in Havana, the U.S. consul Fitzhugh Lee requested a warship to protect American lives and property. There also was concern about rumored Spanish intentions to turn Cuba over to Germany. These circumstances induced McKinley to dispatch USS Maine to Havana. The Maine was a second-class battleship whose keel was laid in 1888, though it was not commissioned until 1895.

"Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!"
David A. Norris looks at the circumstances surrounding the destruction of the American Battleship USS Maine in Havana in 1898
"This means war!" (explosion of battleship USS Maine)
The sinking of the USS Maine on Feb 15, 1898, drove the US to declare war on Spain after investigations showed that the blast was caused by a series of magazine explosions. These explosions were believed to be triggered by an external mine placed by unidentified persons under the ship.
Remember the Maine
The Feb 15, 1898, explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor killed 266 crewmen and led directly to the 1898 Spanish-American war. It was believed that a bomb destroyed the ship, which galvanized the country for war, though the explosion's cause has never been fully explained.
Trial run for interventionism
The Spanish-American War began after Spain was blamed for the sinking of the USS Maine. But the war was provoked by powerful U.S. newspapers and served the interests of big banks.

The Spanish-American War-USS Maine wreckage in Havana Harbor, Cuba, photograph, 1898-U.S. Capitol
The explosion of the USS Maine in February 1898 became a catalyst for war. In April Congress declared war against Spain, demanding that Spain relinquish control of Cuba.
U.S.S. MAINE-Nautical History Gallery & Museum
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. Ostensibly on a friendly visit, the Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after a rebellion against Spanish rule broke out in Havana in January.
The USS Maine explodes in Cuba's Havana Harbor-History
A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard.

Remember the Maine! What Really Sank USS Maine?
In this episode we're taking a deep dive into a longstanding mystery to see what sunk USS Maine.
The Mysterious Event Led to the Spanish-American War: Smithsonian
In early 1898, the USS Maine sailed into Havana harbor as a show of support for the Cuban revolutionaries. Two weeks later, it would explode in inexplicable circumstances lighting the fuse for the Spanish-American War.