USS Maine (1889) - Guide 322

The Maine, a unique armoured cruiser of the United States Navy, is today's subject.

Read more about the the ship here:

[ag]

Love the intentional timing of "with no evidence at all" being paired with the picture of the newspaper saying "all evidence showing Spain involvement"

[edwardloomis]

A memorial to USS Maine crew members killed in the explosion is located at Arlington National Cemetery and includes Maine's salvaged mast. President Wilson dedicated the memorial in 1915.

[bullnukeoldman]

I read the book by Admiral Rickover - my old boss - about the Maine explosion right after it was published and, like pretty much everything else he did, it was well researched and thought out. I highly recommend it.

[marknovak]

Great epp as always. Former Navy guy here, learning a lot from you. Thanks

[John-ciyk]

Sorry mister Drachinifel but it still burns me up that the best channel on American warships is done by a Brit. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your videos and thumbs up. Have a nice day.

[portalovodguides]

Always glad to see more pre-dreadnought era ships!

[briannicholas]

Being from the State of Maine, I've been awaiting this particular 5 minute guide. Maine has a long and proud nautical tradition and is home to Bath Iron Works Shipyard, which constructed one of the very first Fletchers, DD 449, USS Nicholas (which incidentally is my family name). Having a "battleship" named for our state was a great source of pride, and I believe some of the silver service, which was presented to the Maine made it back to our, state after the accident which destroyed her. Throughout the state there are relics of the ship including guns and mast parts. And I believe her main mast is located in Arlington National Cemetary.
A Second USS Maine, lead ship of her class was commissioned in 1901 as BB 10 and had an unremarkable career which ended in 1922.
We just missed out on a 3rd battleship during WWII. It would have been BB 69, one of the enormous Montana class battleships. But the great age of battleships was coming to an end and the 3rd USS Maine was canceled.
Our state has also had the honor of having SSBN 741, an Ohio class ballistic missile submarine named for our state. She is still in commission, as far as I know.
The US Navy changed the naming convention after battleships were decommissioned and assigned State names to nuclear capable submarines.
Thanks for doing up this guide Drach, as usual, brilliantly done.

[marks]

One of my distant relatives was on the USS Maine when it blew up and his remains were never identified. He was a coal stoker in the engine room at the time of the explosion. I've been to the gravesites in Key West, Florida (some of the wounded were transported to the hospital in Key West and later died being buried in the local cemetery.) and I've been to the Maine Memorial at the Arlington National Cemetary (his name is listed with crew members who died).

[zackakai]

"What can we blame on Spain? We'll blame the Maine on Spain! So they blamed the Maine on Spain."

[MarkJoseph]

"...[number of] men the food of sharks"
Haha, now that is some W.R. Hearst newspaper gold right there!

[Yuzral]

9 years to construct, probably around 6 years late, obsolete on commission and still "more powerful than anything else in the US fleet". This begs the question: Just HOW bad was the rest of the US fleet and, by extension, the Spanish one?

[bryangrote]

The ghost of William Randolph Hearst does not approve of this video.

I however do approve and have looked forward to a video on the Maine for a long time.👍

[CorePathway]

For a nation that invented the Monitor, is strange we would forget how to put a turret on the centerline for 40 years.

[shaider]

William J. Hearst is the real life version of the villain from the old Bond film: "tomorrow never dies". It wasn't taught in grade school that it was him who spread the idea that the Spaniards bombed the Maine.

For those wondering, his company also owns Popular Mechanics up to this day.

[LeCharles]

I was really hoping you were going to say "... where the head of the the House Naval Affairs Committee said 'We must not allow—an ironclad gap!'" Dr. Strangelove may have become a part of my soul. 🙃

[blaxson]

Not many ships get sunk twice. Well done Maine.

[moonchaser]

My great grandfather was a new lieutenant on the Maine when she was lost. Fought in the Spanish American war went on to serve until WW1.

[salfox]

The main mast of the Maine is now the flagpole at West Point. Its the only base in the Army that has a navy segmented mast as the base flagpole.

[FandersonUfo]

William Randolph Hearst said to remember the Maine but never mentioned rosebuds

[AdmRose]

Most of the Maine is at the bottom of the ocean. One of her anchors is on display at a park in Reading, PA and the captain’s bathtub is on display at a museum in Ohio. There are quite a few other artifacts scattered around the country as well.