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Message |
    
Joe Shomi
| | Posted on Thursday, November 23, 2000 - 4:10 am: | 
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CNN has reported that the wreck of the U.S.S. Maine, which blew up in Havana in 1898, and was later towed out to sea and sunk, in 1912, has been found. It is approximately one-half mile down in waters of Havana. Apparently, the wreck is fairly well-preserved. It is still owned by the U.S. government. Check out the article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/11/22/remember.the.maine.ap/index.html |
Bob Mervine
| | Posted on Friday, November 24, 2000 - 8:56 pm: |
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Here's a story from the Tampa Tribune on the subject.
>>
Remember the Maine? It's found
CARLOS MONCADA
of The Tampa Tribune
In 1912, the hulk of the USS Maine was towed out to sea and sunk in deep
water in the Gulf of Mexico with military honors.
Since then, the exact location of the battleship, whose mysterious explosion
in 1898 sparked the Spanish-American War, has remained a mystery - until now.
Tuesday, members of an international scientific team announced the discovery
of what has been determined to be the remains of the Maine resting on the
ocean bottom about three miles north of Havana.
``This is an occasion for both reflection and celebration,'' Judy Genshaft,
president of the University of South Florida, said at a news conference at
USF's College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg.
But the discovery is not expected to shed new light on a controversy that has
raged for more than a century: What caused the massive explosion that sank
the battleship and killed 266 of its crewmen?
The research team - led by Canadian-based Advanced Digital Communications,
which is working with USF on the Cuban exploration - made the accidental
discovery Oct. 18.
The team was testing deep-water cameras aboard the Cuban research vessel
Ulises as part of a project to map the bottom of the ocean off Cuba. ADC
holds the only license issued for deep-water exploration in Cuban waters,
said its president, Paulina Zelitsky.
Researchers displayed video images they obtained of a shipwreck resting on
its side in water about 3,700 feet deep that were consistent with features of
the Maine, which is recognized by the Cuban government as a U.S. memorial,
Zelitsky said.
Researchers also found several other shipwrecks in the deep Cuban waters,
including a large wooden wreck they declined to reveal any information about.
The Maine was in remarkably good condition, even better than the Titanic,
because of the deep water's high salinity, Zelitsky said.
``This really is a historical event, because there's a lot of ties with Tampa
Bay and this whole history of the Maine,'' said USF oceanography Professor
Frank Muller-Karger.
The explosion took place Feb. 15, 1898, while the ship was docked in Havana
Harbor. At the time, Cuban rebels were battling Spain for independence.
America was prorebel and anti-Spain.
The loss of the Maine triggered the Spanish-American War and the battle cry
``Remember the Maine.''
Assistant Navy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt resigned his post, recruited
volunteer cavalrymen who became known as the Rough Riders and sailed with
them from Tampa to Cuba to reinforce the Cuban army already fighting there.
His use of Tampa as a staging point on the way to Cuba brought national
attention to the sleepy cigar town.
The discovery likely won't yield any more evidence about whether the blast
was caused by a mine, as investigations in 1898 and 1911 concluded, or an
internal explosion as was suggested in 1976.
That's because those clues would have been in the heavily damaged bow, which
was cut away in 1912 to properly seal the wreck before it was hauled out to
sea, said researcher Ernest Tapanes, Zelitsky's son.
Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 823-3412 and cmoncada@tampatrib.com <<
Bob Mervine |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 301
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 4, 2002 - 2:21 pm: |
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The USS Maine, destroyed in Havana in 1898, and the intact stern raised in 1912- She was towed out to sea and sunk (or 'buried at sea') on March 16 1912; a mere month before Titanic sank. The resinking of the Maine was big news, and Im certain it was a topic of conversation on Titanic. The stern of the Maine was relocated about 2 months ago, and is said to me in very good condition.
Regards
Tarn Stephanos |
Stefan Christiansson
Member
Username: raven
Post Number: 51
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - 3:10 pm: |
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I don't know this ship.
Can you tell me about it? What was it's purpose, how large was it? Why did it sink? Where is the stern section "buried"? Any info would be good! Thanks. |
Michael H. Standart
Member
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 3784
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - 6:03 pm: |
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The U.S.S. Maine was a second class battleship which exploded and sank during a port visit to Havana Cuba. While this was likely due to something like a coal dust explosion, tensions were pretty high between the United States and Spain at the time. It wasn't long befor this was chalked up to a deliberate act by Spain and the next thing you know, the Spanish American War is underway.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart |
Colleen Collier
Member
Username: colleen
Post Number: 723
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 20, 2002 - 4:23 am: |
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One of her capstans is on display in Charleston SC. at Battery Park. :-)
I have a picture of it, but it is too big to put up here.
Colleen |
Bill Wormstedt
Member
Username: wormstedt
Post Number: 269
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Thursday, June 20, 2002 - 5:21 am: |
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Colleen's pictures can be seen at:
http://home.attbi.co m/~bwormst/titanic/S C_2002/index2.html
Two photos of the capstans at the bottom of the page. Please ignore the homeless bums in front of the capstan, who Colleen was not able to shoo away before she took the picture. |
Colleen Collier
Member
Username: colleen
Post Number: 725
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 20, 2002 - 11:23 pm: |
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What!?! Homeless bums??? Knowing full well I had a handbag large enough to carry it off, and a vehicle that it would have fit it into, I thought they were bodyguards. Can't you envision the caption under Phil to say... "YOU ARE NOT going to put this in MY SUV!"  .
Cahleen (smiling all over again....) |
Bill Wormstedt
Member
Username: wormstedt
Post Number: 272
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Friday, June 21, 2002 - 12:16 am: |
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Hahahahhaha!
Now you got ME smiling too - thanks Cahleen! |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 364
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 21, 2002 - 12:29 am: |
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Great photos Bill!
Where and when were they taken?
For some reason, I pictured you all as bald midgets..guess I was wrong..
regards
Tarn Stephanos |
Bill Wormstedt
Member
Username: wormstedt
Post Number: 274
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Friday, June 21, 2002 - 6:53 am: |
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Thank Colleen for the photos, most are hers. A few by George Behe and others. I just provided the web-space, and some of the jokes.
That was page 2 of the photos taken in South Carolina last January. If you knock the "index2.html" off the URL, you should get to page 1. Info on the get together is down in the "Let's Meet" section here at ET. |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 366
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 3:53 am: |
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Speaking of George Behe- where has he been? I havent seen hide nor hair of Geroge Behe on this board or the Titanic lists for months..
regards
Tarn Stephanos |
Bill Wormstedt
Member
Username: wormstedt
Post Number: 276
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 6:57 am: |
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George told me he was going to be offline 'for a while' (an unspecified time), and that's all I know. |
fred pelka
Member
Username: fred
Post Number: 3
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 2:06 am: |
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I wonder if anyone can recommend good texts and/or websites on the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine. Does anyone have a sense as to the consensus (if there is one) of historians on this? Was it an internal explosion? Spanish or Cuban rebel attack? Random mine? Considering it was the precipitating factor of the Spanish-American War, this would seem to be a rather important question.
Thanking you all in advance,
Fred |
Michael H. Standart
Moderator
Username: mstandart
Post Number: 5813
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 7:26 am: |
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Fred, I've seen several documentaries on this, one rather recently on the Discovery Channel. The best evidence tends to point to an internal explosion that was the result of a coal bunker fire cooking off the ammunition.
Cordially,
Michael H. Standart
Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon
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Joshua Andersen
Member
Username: titanicteen
Post Number: 20
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 30, 2003 - 8:47 pm: |
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You might try the Navy's inquest into the tragedy from the 1970's. The Navy held a Blue Ribbon Commision and came pretty close to finding the cause it just took another 20 years to set the coal bunker fire into stone. Its a rather good read and may help. |
Tom Pappas
Member
Username: landlubber
Post Number: 359
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 2:51 am: |
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I'd like to have a few words with the naval architect who specified a magazine adjacent to a coal bunker! To ask him, what the hell were you using for brains that week?
"But this script can't sink!"
"She is made of irony, sir. I assure you, she can."
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Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 757
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2003 - 7:43 pm: |
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No doubt a topic of converstaion of Titanic was the recent raising- and sinking of the USS Maine.
Blown up in Havana harbor in 1898, the wreck sat there until 1911- Then efforts got underway to raise the intact stern section- which was towed out to sea and ceremonally sunk, on March 16 1912, basically a month before ther Titanic went down...
The wreck of the Maine (or stern section therof) was recently located, some 5000 feet down...
Tarn Stephanos |
Tom Pappas
Member
Username: landlubber
Post Number: 424
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 3:33 pm: |
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What a remarkable coincidence!
The remains of a ship used as a pretext for an illegal war, based on unfounded charges of aggression against the United States.
Plus ça change...
"But this script can't sink!"
"She is made of irony, sir. I assure you, she can."
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Inger Sheil
Moderator
Username: isheil
Post Number: 1728
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2003 - 4:41 pm: |
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One of those who saw the wreck before its resinking, and who commented upon it in correspondence, was James Moody. He also had a few observations on the high price of cigars in Cuba and the improvements made by Americans in the area. |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 1422
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, December 26, 2004 - 7:20 pm: |
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Did the Maine have any sister ships?
What 'class' of ship was she?
regards
Tarn Stephanos |
Mark Baber
Moderator
Username: mab
Post Number: 1302
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Sunday, December 26, 2004 - 7:37 pm: |
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Hello, Tarn---
The U.S.S. Maine was the only ship of the Maine class; look here.
MAB
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OceanicSteamNavigationCo/
http://www.greatships.net/
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Richard Glueck
Member
Username: richard_glueck
Post Number: 24
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 8:28 pm: |
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Pictures of the sunken hulk are online. If you dig hard enough you can see the wreckage in it's deep water tomb. Her bow shield is beautifully display here in Bangor, Maine, in a public park.
"Remember the Maine! Who could forget it?"
-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 2063
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 6:29 am: |
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As Archibald Gracie was quite the military buff, I suspect the recent raising of the Maine was something that came up in his conversations when he sailed Titanic... |
James Smith
Member
Username: jds88
Post Number: 368
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 11:23 pm: |
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You may already know this, Tarn, but one of the Maine's masts and one of its anchors are at Arlington National Cemetery.
--Jim |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 2068
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 3:15 am: |
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I didn't know that James- For some reason I thought her mast was at West Point... |
Jack Devine
Member
Username: jackdevine
Post Number: 171
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Friday, June 8, 2007 - 12:55 am: |
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Tarn:
The foremast of the Maine is actually in Annapolis, at the Naval Academy. West Point being the Military Academy and strictly Army, they would probably resist taking any naval artifact. It simply isn't done!
The mainmast is at Arlington, above a tomb for many of the crew. |
Tarn Stephanos
Member
Username: titanictarn
Post Number: 2098
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 8, 2007 - 1:39 am: |
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Hi Jack
Many thanks for the correction.
regards
tarn Stephanos |
Richard Glueck
Member
Username: richard_glueck
Post Number: 231
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 12:26 am: |
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Her bow shield, a bronze union jack, has been carefully restored and is displayed in Davenport Park, in the heart of Bangor, Maine. Little plaques, cast from recovered bronze and brass abound in this state |
John DeLoache
Member
Username: law3609
Post Number: 53
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 1:11 am: |
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There are pieces of the Maine everywhere. We have one of the six-pound guns on the statehouse grounds here Columbia,SC.
Here is a list of most of the various parts.
http://www.spanamwar.com/mainparts.htm |
Denise A. Hunyadi
Member
Username: dahunyadi
Post Number: 292
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 4:08 pm: |
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That's a great site, John! It's amazing how many pieces of the Maine there are scattered about the country, and even outside it. I'm originally from Canton, Ohio, where some of the pieces of the Maine are still located. They used to be all in one area of Waterworks Park, but I see they've moved some to different locations in the city. Canton was the home of William McKinley, president of the United States during the Spanish American War. Hard to believe now, but that brief conflict was referred to at the time by someone in the government (whose name escapes me) as "that splendid little war." McKinley, his wife Ada, and a child are buried in an impressive, domed granite structure in Monument Park, located near the pro football Hall of Fame.
I now live just up the road in suburban Cleveland and there's a piece of the Maine we just happened to stumble across last year while taking a scenic route home that I don't see on the web site list. I can't remember the exact location off hand, but maybe once I locate that information I should send them an email to let them know about it, just in case they don't.
Denise |
Denise A. Hunyadi
Member
Username: dahunyadi
Post Number: 293
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 6:15 pm: |
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I need to make two corrections to my last post. William McKinley's wife's name was Ida, not Ada. Also, the McKinleys had two children (both daughters), and they are entombed with their parents.
My apologies!
[Moderator's Note: Four threads discussing the Maine have been merged to form this one. MAB]
Denise |
