Spanish American War

Spanish American War. Key West — Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial. Spanish American War . On January 24, 1898, the battleship USS Maine sailed from Key West for Havana to protect the lives of American citizens threatened by riots. Three weeks later, on February 15, a mysterious explosion sank the Maine in Havana harbor with the loss of 261 lives. Wounded crewmen and bodies began arriving in Key West soon thereafter. A naval court of inquiry into the sinking began its deliberations in Havana and then reconvened at the Customs House in Key West. The court concluded that the battleship was sunk by a submarine mine, but was unable to determine who was responsible. By March 25, forty ships of the North Atlantic Squadron had assembled at Key West and preparations for war were well underway on shore. The harbor was mined, modern rifle batteries were installed at Fort Taylor, and facilities for storing coal and fleet supplies were enlarged and new ones constructed. The USS Nashville fired the first shot of the war when a Spanish merchant ship, unaware that the war had begun, sailed into Key West. On April 22, two days after Congress passed a resolution demanding Spain give up Cuba, ships of the fleet sailed from Key West and the Dry Tortugas to blockade Cuba and, just over two months later, defeat the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Santiago. The same day the fleet sailed, the Mother Superior of the Mary Immaculate Convent dismissed her students and made preparations to receive battle casualties. After the battles of El Caney and San Juan Hill, a steady stream of wounded arrived at Key West. By the war's end, the nuns had cared for 550 wounded and sick military personnel. During the brief, three-month war, Key West served as a logistical base for fleet units and an embarkation port for several Army units. The city set aside a plot in the Key West cemetery to bury Civil War dead. Twenty-four sailors from the Maine and other war dead are buried there. This is the site of the Maine Memorial. The United States emerged from the war as a major world power. (Captions) On January 24, 1898, the battleship USS Maine sailed from Key West for Havana to protect the lives of American citizens threatened by riots. Three weeks later, on February 15, a mysterious explosion sank the Maine in Havana harbor. The fire control turret raised from the Maine is found in the right rear corner of this memorial. A plot in the Key West cemetery was set aside to bury Civil War dead. Some victims of the Maine explosion are buried there. The Maine Memorial is located there.