Thunderous booms and bangs rang out on the evening of February 15, 1898. The battleship Maine exploded in the harbors of Havana, Cuba. Panicked passengers rushed to safety, while some remained trapped helplessly with no chance of escape. Surprised, the survivors searched for the crew members and their friends. The battleship which exploded into several pieces sank to the bottom of the ocean, resulting in injuries and deaths. Two hundred and sixty-six of the three hundred and fifty-five officers, crew, sailors, and Marines on board died or drowned in the explosion or shortly after suffering injury or shock. USS Maine was the United States Navy's second-commissioned battleship; however, Maine was originally classified as an armored cruiser. Heavily armed with cannons and torpedoes, this ship was ready for combat. The USS Maine, named for the state of Maine, was completed on November 18, 1889. The battleship remained stationed near the eastern coast of the United States and the Caribbean. In January 1898, President William McKinley sent the 6,789-ton ship from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, hoping to help protect United States interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain. Three weeks later, the battleship mysteriously exploded in Havana harbor. Captain Charles Sigsbee and several officers aboard the ship survived due to their location in the rear of the ship. A few weeks after the explosion, investigations began. The first to explore this tragic scene was the United States Naval Court of Inquiry, located in Key West. They discovered that a naval mine had caused the explosion. Researchers Del Peral and De Salas conducted another investigation that same year and collected information provided to them by survivors...... middle of paper ...... the government removed the remains of the wreckage and the bodies of those who died on the ship. They also buried the bodies at Arlington National Cemetery and some in their hometown. A memorial with the ship's mast was placed at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the lives lost in the explosion. Although the final cause of the explosion still remains a mystery, the deaths of the members aboard the USS Maine linger, marking the end of a new beginning. Works Cited Rickover, Hyman G. How the Battleship Maine Was Destroyed United States Department of the Navy, 1975 www.history.com Department of the Navy. August 13, 2003. Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center. May 13, 2010. www.us-history.com 2001-2010. Highway Online LLC. May 13 2010