USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -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.

Detailed explanation-2: -The reasons for war were many, but there were two immediate ones: America’s support the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule, and the mysterious explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor.

Detailed explanation-3: -USS Maine, a second-class battleship built between 1888 and 1895, was sent to Havana in January 1898 to protect American interests during the long-standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish government. In the evening of 15 February 1898, Maine sank when her forward gunpowder magazines exploded.

Detailed explanation-4: -Timeline. President William McKinley sends the battleship USS Maine to Havana to protect U.S. interests in Cuba. The Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, killing 266 men. An inquiry conducted by the U.S Navy concludes that the explosion was caused by the detonation of a mine under the ship.

Detailed explanation-5: -Many agree that the main causes of the Spanish–American War was Cuba’s struggle for independence and the sinking of the USS Maine on 15 February 1898. An explosion, then thought to be caused by a mine, killed over 260 of the 354 American crew members.