USS Maine
Armored Cruiser (Second-Class Battleship) · United States · Lost 1898 · Cuba & the Greater Antilles
The battleship whose destruction in Havana Harbor helped ignite the Spanish-American War, killing two-thirds of her crew.
The Vessel and Her Loss
USS Maine was sent to Havana in early 1898 to protect American interests during Cuba's war for independence from Spain. On the evening of February 15, 1898, a catastrophic explosion tore through her forward hull, sinking her at her moorings and killing most of her crew. American public opinion blamed Spanish sabotage, and the disaster became the rallying point for war two months later. The wreck was later raised, examined, and scuttled at sea.
Vessel
- 1895
- ACR-1
- Brooklyn Navy Yard
- Brooklyn, New York
- Steel
- 324 ft
- 57 ft
- 6682
- Steam, twin screw
- United States Navy
Loss
- February 15, 1898
- Mechanical failure
- Havana Harbor, Cuba
- Havana Harbor
- Not established
- Not established
- 355
- 266
- Charles Sigsbee
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Raised in 1911-1912 to clear the harbor; the recovered remains were subsequently scuttled at sea north of Havana and no longer exist as a coherent wreck site.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Havana Harbor, Cuba
Original anchorage was buoy no. 4 in Havana harbor; the wreck was removed and rescuttled at sea, so no fixed position remains.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
The exact cause of the explosion remains disputed among naval historians and is not settled in the sources reviewed.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Loss date, casualties, cause debate, and later salvage and scuttling.
