In 1898, A massive explosion sank the battleship, USS Maine, in Cuba's Havana harbor. It killed 260 of the 400 American crew members aboard.
EXPLOSION OF THE MAINE
USS MAINE
Originally the USS Maine was sent to Cuba for a friendly visit. The Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after a rebellion against Spanish rule broke out in Havana.
The U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry ruled that the ship was blown up by a mine, without placing blame on Spain. However, Congress and the majority of the American public put a target on Spain and called for a declaration of war.
Diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter and the United States indignation over Spain's brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion and continued losses to American investment, led to the outbreak of the Spanish -American War in 1898.
Within three months, the United States had defeated Spanish forces on land and sea. On December 12, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain. It officially ended the Spanish-American War and granted the United States its first overseas empire with Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Treaty of Paris
TRUTH
In 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage.
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