The USS Maine (sent to Cuba “to protect US interests” during the Cuban revolt against Spain) mysteriously exploded on the evening of February 15, 1898. Navy divers were sent to investigate and determined that the cause was a mine. “Remember the Maine” became the rallying cry that helped get the US into a war with Spain. This one-pounder shell at the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum was recovered from the USS Maine by those divers. It was for 1 of 4 Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns that were on her decks. The 1990s tag explains how we acquired it back at the turn of the century.
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