USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, precipitating the Spanish–American War

Background. In January 1898, the USS Maine was dispatched to Havana, Cuba, to protect American interests during the Cuban War of Independence. The ship was the largest vessel from an American shipyard. Political pressures following the explosion pushed President McKinley to receive congressional authority to use military force against Spain.

Casualties and Investigation. The explosion killed 268 sailors, representing three-quarters of the crew. Recovered bodies were initially interred in Colon Cemetery, Havana, in February 1898, before being disinterred in December 1899 for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Multiple naval courts of inquiry were ordered, including the Sampson Board in 1898 and the Vreeland board in 1911.

Political Context. The sinking was the immediate cause of the Spanish–American War. The overwhelming consensus of observers in the 1890s was that humanitarian concern for Cubans was the main motivating force for the war. The Spanish political system was unstable following the assassination of its leader in 1897, making it unable to risk a blow to its prestige.