USS Maine Defeat

The USS Maine was the first massive battleship to join the US navy fleet. It weighed more than 6,000 tons and cost more than $4 million to build. In a friendly manner, it was sent to Cuba to protect American concerns about US citizens and US interests. Later on, a fight between the Americans and Spanish broke out, beginning in Havana, in January 1898. “An explosion sunk the ship killing 260 Americans on board the vessel. A U.S naval court ruled that the sinking of the ship was caused by a sea mine explosion (Second-Class Battleship Maine 1895)”. However, the Congress and most Americans blamed the Spanish government for the incident. Diplomacy failed to resolve the conflict which eventually lead to a declaration of war. As Spain continued to suppress the Cuban rebellion, Americans continued losing their assets. In April 1898, the Spanish-American War broke out. Within three months, The US won the war, on the sea and land. In December of the same year, a treaty was signed between the United States of America and Spain to, officially, end the …show more content…
The construction started after Congress, in August 1886, authorized the navy to build a battleship. The construction took nine years to be completed and another three years for armor plating alone. The Maine was unique because the U.S Navy designed and constructed it, in navy yards. There was another battleship known as the USS Texas, but it was built by a naval contractor and designed by English designers. This meant that the USS Maine was the largest vessel to be built in navy yards. Since it was the new showpiece for the nation and the US navy, the USS Maine was often acknowledged and celebrated in popular festivities and national events. For example, in1897 it participated in the New Orleans Mardi Gras ceremony. Between June and December, the Maine moved from Virginia to Connecticut and to Florida, which was the final