18. The loss of the Maine led to the Spanish-American War
Often erroneously referred to as a battleship, USS Maine was an armored cruiser which became obsolete while still under construction, but was nonetheless a symbol of pride for the United States Navy. The ship entered service in 1895 and in 1898 was sent to Havana during the Cuban revolution against Spain, as a sign of American strength and to protect American interests in Cuba. During the evening hours of February 15, 1898, Maine was riding at anchor in the harbor when it was racked with a tremendous explosion as more than five tons of gunpowder detonated. Two hundred and sixty-six American sailors were killed in the explosion and sinking. There were 89 survivors.
Remember the Maine became a rallying cry for those lobbying for war with Spain, and yellow journalists blamed the explosion on a Spanish mine, though the most likely explanation for what happened is that it was an accident. Coal bunkers were likely the source of a fire which created intense heat alongside a powder magazine, which then detonated, destroying the ship. An investigation by Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of America’s nuclear navy, determined that the coal bunker fire was the most logical conclusion based on the evidence, and further considered that the Spanish had no motives for inciting America to go to war, and great motives for preventing that eventuality.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“This Civil War Boat Explosion Killed More People than the ‘Titanic'”. Kat Eschner, Smithsonian Magazine. April 27, 2017
“Loss of the French Liner La Bourgogne With 550 Lives”. Marine Engineering. August 1898
“Fearful Disaster On Lake Michigan; The Steamer Lady Elgin Sunk by Collision with a Schooner”. The New York Times. September 10, 1860
“Transatlantic”. Stephen Fox. 2003
“The silence after the blast: How the Halifax explosion was nearly forgotten”. Brett Bundale, Global News. November 30, 2017
“A Spectacle of Horror – The Burning of the General Slocum”. Gilbert King, Smithsonian Magazine. February 21, 2012
“Excursion to Death”. John Griggs, American Heritage Magazine. February 1965
“The Philippines Off Mindoro, A Night to Remember”. Howard Chua Eo and Nelly Sindayen, Time Magazine. January 4, 1988
“Vienna Confirms Disaster: Lieutenant von Trapp in Command of Submarine that Sank the Cruiser. French Warship Sunk. 552 Perish”. The New York Times. April 29, 1915
“Lancastria: The forgotten tragedy of World War Two”. Graham Fraser, BBC Scotland. June 13, 2015
“Wartime Disasters at Sea”. David Williams. 1997
“Empress of Ireland, ‘Canada’s Titanic,’ finally getting its due after 100 years”. Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail. May 23, 1014
“USS Thresher (SSN-593) 3 August 1961 – 10 April 1963”. Vice-Admiral E. W. Grenfell, Proceedings. March 1964
“The Evening Read: The sinking of SS Vestris – the shipping disaster that time forgot”. Paddy Shennan, The Liverpool Echo. October 21, 2013
“Falklands War: HMS Conqueror remembers Belgrano sinking”. Allan Little, BBC News video report. May 2, 2012
“How the Battleship Maine was Destroyed”. Hyman G. Rickover. 1995
