The Maine Memorial
Spanish War Veterans Memorial
At forty minutes past nine, on the evening of the 15th of February 1898, the United States Battleship Maine was ripped by a sudden and devastating explosion, demolishing the entire forward section and sending the ship to the bottom of Havana Harbor. After 23 days of testimony and examination of the evidence, a court of inquiry found that the Maine was destroyed by the explosion of a submarine mine, which caused the subsequent explosions in two or more of the ship’s magazines.
Of the 355 officers, sailors and Marine detachment that comprised the ship’s company, only [95] survived. 2 officers 230 of the crew, and 28 Marines perished. Those not killed by the blast were pinned between decks by the tangled wreckage and drowned by the almost instantaneous sinking of the hull.
When the Maine was finally raised from Havana Harbor and salvaged, sections were cut apart and [were] sent to various cities throughout the United States [to be] used in Memorials to honor Veterans of the Spanish American War. The [---sed] gear mechanism [----------] the Memorial [--] Sacramento’s piece of [----------] Maine.
Courtesy hmdb.org
