On February 15, 1898, the cruiser USS Maine sinks after an explosion in Havana Harbor, Cuba. The ship had been deployed to the region to secure American interests after the outbreak of a Cuban revolution against the Spanish government which held the island. The exact cause of the ship's explosion has been a point of debate and controversy ever sense the event occurred. One of the major theories is that the ship's coal bunker had detonated due to the buildup of a highly flammable gas known as firedamp, released by the bituminous coal used as fuel for the Maine. The other major theory was that a mine had struck the vessel and it was this theory which guided the American response. The United States soon declared war on Spain and invaded Cuba and the Philippines. In less than four months, Spain had surrendered. As a result, Cuba became a protectorate of the US and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines became US territorial possessions. Cuba would gain its independence a few years later but would still remain controlled under US policies for the time as well as starting its lease of Guantanamo Bay to the US.
As for the USS Maine, the remains of the ship was re-floated and removed from Havana Harbor in 1912 before being scuttled off the coast of Florida.
Keywords
male
1,170,578,
fox
243,717,
vulpine
35,752,
usa
558,
this day in history
249,
tdih
244,
united states
95,
spain
83,
cuba
19,
spanish-american war
2,
february 15
1,
uss maine
1
Details
Published:
5 years, 9 months ago
16 Feb 2019 02:22 CET
Initial: dca29a81cf62c84c434fb20b4448f5c5
Full Size: 3dd193fd8b2d38c9778eacee680e4f21
Large: 348ca68755eb2331698630a5204eb03d
Small: 34b0e5562d7a60ce9370c451f3fd9695
Stats
18 views
5 favorites
2 comments
