We later visited the adjacent Menger Hotel and Bar where, after the US Battleship MAINE was blown up by terrorists in Cuba, Teddy Roosevelt recruited "The Rough Riders." We stood on the balcony where, 100 years ago, Roosevelt shouted "REMEMBER THE MAINE!"

From: Leonard R. Cleavelin

Are you truly serious about the emphasized passage? I was under the impression that it was pretty definitively proved, by none other than Admiral Hyman Rickover, that the Maine sank when a fire in a coal bunker which arose from spontaneous combustion spread to an adjacent ammunition magazine, after which the ammunition exploded, as ammunition is wont to do in such circumstances. Granted, the emphasized passage is an accurate description of what Americans thought at the time. But sometimes the passage of time reveals more mundane explanations.

From: Greg Novak

Rickover's attempt to solve the "Mystery of the Maine" has been discredited - as those he ordered to solve the problem were good nuclear submarine engineers - but knew little of late 19th century warships. The crew of the Maine was very aware of the coal bunker fire issue - and went to great lengths to monitor the issue.

The latest work on the subject " Remembering the Maine", Peggy and Harold Samuels, Smithsonian, 1995 postulates that elements of the Spanish Army wanted to get the Maine out of Havana harbor - which she had come to for a visit of a few days - and stayed for several weeks - and tried to explode a crude black powder mine near the Maine - after which the ship would be forced to depart the harbor as the Spanish government would point out that they were unable to protect. The Maine was anchored in a section of the harbor behind the Coast Defenses of the port, and which was not covered by them!

While the side armor of the Maine was not bad - the bottom armor was nil - and the mine went off under the ship near the 6" magazine - and which then set off the 10" magazine, which exploded in turn and destroyed the ship. The main powder carried by the Maine was the newer "brown powder", which was chemically more stable then black powder - or the propellants that followed.

The mine theory was considered disproved at first due to the fact that there were no dead fish in the harbor - but it turns that black powder does not create an underwater shock wave - and in fact is the explosive of choice today for those doing underwater explosive work in protected waters for that reason. The examination of the wreckage showed there was an exterior explosion - followed by a more massive interior explosion.

Since those elements of the Spanish Army created a war which Spain lost badly - there would be no reason for those involved to admit their sins.

It could be argued that the Cuban rebels could have done the same - with an idea towards creating an international incident.