Cuba Restores Memorial to USS Maine

February 15, 2013 10:16 AM
A period engraving of the original USS Maine monument in Havana, Cuba.
A period engraving of the original USS Maine monument in Havana, Cuba.

The government of Havana, Cuba recently restored a monument to the lost crew of the USS Maine celebrating Cuba-American relations following The Spanish American War, The Associated Press reported Friday.

The monument was originally erected in 1925, following the 1898 explosion of the Maine and the subsequent Spanish American War that resulted in Cuba’s independence from Spain.

The memorial has the names of 266 sailors who were lost on in the explosion and statues of two women representing a motherly United States leading a younger Cuba.

Following the Cuban revolution of the 1950s, language on the monument was changed to imply the sailors were pawns of an imperial power.

For more information about the USS Maine see Naval History Magazine’s special report on how the Maine sank.

Sam LaGrone

Sam LaGrone

Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
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