where was the u.s.s maine when it exploded in 1898
Havana Harbor
title: USS Maine (ACR-1) text: known for her loss in Havana Harbor on the evening of 15 February 1898. Sent to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain, she exploded suddenly, without warning, and sank quickly, killing nearly three quarters of her crew. The cause and responsibility for her sinking remained unclear after a board of inquiry investigated. Nevertheless, popular opinion in the U.S., fanned by inflammatory articles printed in the "yellow press" by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, blamed Spain. The phrase, "Remember the "Maine!" To hell with Spain!", became a rallying cry for action, which came with the Spanish–American War title: Puerto Rican Campaign text: commercial commodity which the United States lacked: sugar. On February 15, 1898 the USS Maine exploded and sunk in Havana Harbor, Cuba. According to the Navy's leading weapons expert, Philip Alger, the explosion was due to a coal fire igniting a reserve magazine of six tons of gunpowder, much of which was already degrading due to the humid climate. However, the United States forwarded an ultimatum to Spain to withdraw from Cuba following the sinking of the "Maine". In response, Spain broke off diplomatic relations with the United States, and on April 23, 1898 Spain declared war. On April 25, title: Cuban War of Independence text: the last week of January. On February 15, 1898, the "Maine" was rocked by an explosion, killing 258 of the crew and sinking the ship in the harbor. At the time, a military Board of Investigations decided that the Maine had exploded due to the detonation of a mine underneath the hull. However, later investigations decided that it was likely something inside the ship, though the cause of the explosion has not been clearly established to this day. In an attempt to appease the United States, the colonial government took two steps that had been demanded by President William McKinley: title: Cuba text: the island followed. The U.S. battleship "Maine" was sent to protect U.S. interests, but soon after arrival, it exploded in Havana harbor and sank quickly, killing nearly three quarters of the crew. The cause and responsibility for the sinking of the ship remained unclear after a board of inquiry. Popular opinion in the U.S., fueled by an active press, concluded that the Spanish were to blame and demanded action. Spain and the United States declared war on each other in late April 1898. Over the previous decades, five U.S. presidents—Polk, Pierce, Buchanan, Grant, and McKinley—had tried to buy the island title: Rough Riders Memorial text: was a ten-week conflict during the spring and summer of 1898. Cuba had been waging a war of independence against Spain since 1895, an effort largely supported by the United States, which had extensive economic interests on the island. To ensure the safety of American citizens and property in Cuba, the United States sent the battleship to Havana in late January 1898. The "Maine" exploded and was destroyed with large loss of life on February 15, and Spain and the U.S. declared war on each other on April 25. With only 25,000 men in the United States Army but more