USS Maine was a warship commissioned to Havana harbor, Cuba by US President McKinley in a bid to look into the safety of Americans living or working in Cuba in 1898. In addition, this sent a message to the Spanish administration that the States was not going to sit and watch as the conditions in Cuba deteriorated. Despite the Battle ship exploding because of an onboard accident, many Americans saw that the Spanish military was responsible for the explosion.
Summary of the Incident
Destruction of the USS Maine occurred on 15 February 1898. At the time, Cuba was fighting to liberate themselves from the control of the Spanish. The Spanish caught a Cuban ship, Virginius, earlier, and all the crew executed, including American citizens (McMorrow, 2012).
America’s aggravation with this was the main reason why the USS Maine was sent to Cuba. An inquiry carried out by the US government to determine the cause of the explosion concluded that the explosion of an underwater mine was the main cause of the explosion. Other inquiries done in the early 1900s came up with similar conclusions. For a long time, Spain was believed to be responsible for the explosion that occurred due to the influence America had on Cuba’s fight for liberty (Fisher, 2009).
Research carries out by Hyman Rickover in 1976 revealed that a sudden combustion of carbon in the form of coal might have resulted in the explosion of magazines adjacent to the mine. This is consistent with research carried out by the Advanced Marine Enterprise (AME) that was working with the National Geographic Society.
Conclusion
According to NHHC, the explosion killed two hundred and sixty six individuals. The first findings by the US Navy frustrated the American public, who believed that Spain was solely to blame. It was believed that Spain sent the USS Maine to that Havana harbor since it has mines underneath. The destruction of the USS Maine fueled the arising of the US-Spanish war. Spain became stricter as pertained to Cuba’s independence while American wanted to help Cuba even more. Eventually America declared war on Spain.
Reference Link
Fisher, L. (2009). Destruction of the Maine (1898). Retrieved from
http://loc.gov/law/help/usconlaw/pdf/Maine.1898.pdf
McMorrow, E., P. (2012). What Destroyed the USS Maine? Retrieved from
http://www.spanamwar.com/Mainemo1.htm
Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The Destruction of the USS Maine. Retrieved
from http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq71-1.htm
