USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor
On this day · 15 February 1898
A sudden blast tore apart an American battleship in a Cuban harbor, killing hundreds and pushing the U.S. toward war with Spain.
On the night of February 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship USS Maine lay anchored in Havana Harbor, Cuba, where it had been sent to protect American interests amid Cuba’s revolt against Spain. At about 9:40 p.m., a massive explosion ripped through the forward third of the ship, where most of the crew were sleeping. The Maine sank within minutes, killing roughly 260 officers and men.
American newspapers swiftly blamed a Spanish mine, and the cry “Remember the Maine!” swept the nation. A U.S. naval board agreed an external mine was to blame.
A 1976 study concluded the blast was likely an internal fire igniting the ship’s ammunition—not sabotage at all.
Whatever the cause, the disaster helped ignite the Spanish-American War, which erupted that April and reshaped the U.S. into an overseas power within months.
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