destruction of the Maine

Q: What was the USS Maine incident?

The USS Maine incident was a mysterious explosion on February 15, 1898, that sank the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana harbor, leading to the deaths of 260 Navy crewmen.

Q: What role did yellow journalism play in the Maine incident?

Yellow journalism used the Maine incident to stir public sentiment in favor of U.S. intervention in Cuba, popularizing the slogan, “Remember the ‘ Maine ,’ to hell with Spain!”

Q: What was the initial conclusion about the cause of the Maine ’s destruction?

A U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry initially concluded that the Maine was destroyed by an underwater mine, with suspicion falling on Spain.

Q: What did the 1976 investigation reveal about the Maine explosion?

The 1976 investigation revealed that the explosion likely resulted from an internal fire igniting the ship’s ammunition, not from a Spanish mine.

maritime incident, harbor of Havana, Cuba [1898]

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History

What was the USS Maine incident?

What role did yellow journalism play in the Maine incident?

What was the initial conclusion about the cause of the Maine’s destruction?

What did the 1976 investigation reveal about the Maine explosion?

destruction of the Maine, (February 15, 1898), an incident preceding the Spanish-American War in which a mysterious explosion sank the U.S. battleship Maine in the harbor of Havana. The destruction of the Maine was one of a series of incidents that precipitated the United States’ intervention in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which had begun in 1895.

USS MaineThe USS Maine before its destruction in 1898.

In January 1898 the Maine had been sent to Havana partly as a conciliatory gesture to Spanish authorities and partly to safeguard U.S. citizens and property following unrest in the city. Then, on February 15, an explosion sank the ship, carrying 260 Navy crewmen and officers to their deaths. Shortly following the explosion, a U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry concluded that the Maine had been destroyed by an underwater mine, and suspicion quickly fell on Spain. Certain U.S. newspapers seized upon the incident and coined the popular slogan, “Remember the ‘Maine,’ to hell with Spain!” in an effort to whip up public sentiment in favor of armed intervention, which followed in April.

In 1976 a subsequent U.S. naval investigation determined that the explosion most likely resulted from an internal fire that ignited the ship’s ammunition, rather than from a Spanish mine or deliberate sabotage.