Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine (Havana) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine
General information
Type	Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine, ca. 1930
Architectural style	Classical
Address	Malecon and Línea
Town or city	Havana
Country	Cuba
Coordinates	23°8′42″N 82°22′54″W / 23.14500°N 82.38167°W / 23.14500; -82.38167
Groundbreaking	1925
Height
Architectural	40 feet
Technical details
Structural system	Load bearing
Material	White marble
Design and construction
Architect	Félix Cabarrocas, architect
References
USS Maine

The Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine (in Spanish: Monumento a las víctimas del Maine) is a special memorial in Havana, Cuba. It was built in 1925 on the Malecón boulevard, which is a famous waterfront road. This monument honors the American sailors who died when the battleship USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor.

The USS Maine Explosion

The USS Maine before the explosion.

On February 15, 1898, the American battleship USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor. This terrible event killed two officers and 250 sailors right away. Later, 14 more survivors died from their injuries, bringing the total to 266 deaths.

At first, an investigation said the explosion was caused by a mine outside the ship. Many people then blamed Spain, which helped start the Spanish–American War. However, later studies in 1976 and 1995 suggested the ship was actually destroyed from the inside.

The USS Maine had been in Havana for three weeks. It was there because the American Consul, Fitzhugh Lee, had asked for it. The explosion of the ship played a big part in the United States declaring war on Spain.

Building the Monument

Fifteen years after the explosion, in 1913, the President of Cuba, Mario García Menocal, decided to build a monument. It was meant to honor the victims of the USS Maine.

The architect Félix Cabarrocas was in charge of the design. Construction started in 1924 and finished in 1925. This was during the time President Alfredo Zayas was in office.

The monument was officially opened on March 8, 1925. Important people from Cuba and America, including President Zayas and American General John Pershing, attended the ceremony.

At the bottom of the monument, two cannons were placed. There was also a piece of the ship's anchor chain that had been found in 1911. Two tall Ionic columns, about 40 feet high, were also built.

Originally, these columns did not have an eagle on top. Later, a bronze eagle with open wings was added. This eagle was also created by Cabarrocas. A bronze sign on the monument reads: "To the Victims of the USS Maine. The people of Cuba."

In October 1926, a strong hurricane hit Havana. The eagle on the monument, which had its wings pointing upwards, was damaged. Because of this, the original eagle was replaced in 1926 with a new one that had horizontal wings. The first eagle is now at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

Busts of American Leaders

The monument originally featured three busts, which are sculptures of a person's head and shoulders. These busts were of important Americans:

• President William McKinley, who declared war on Spain.
• Leonard Wood, who was the first military governor in Cuba.
• President Theodore Roosevelt.

On July 4, 1943, a fourth bust was added. This one was of Andrew Summers Rowan. He was an army officer known for carrying a message to General Calixto Garcia before the Spanish-American War began.

Changes to the Monument

On January 18, 1961, the eagle and the busts of the American leaders were removed from the monument. This happened because they were seen as a "symbol of imperialism" by the Cuban government at the time.

Later, a new message was added to the monument by the Communist government. It reads:

To the victims of the Maine who were sacrificed by the imperialist voracity and their desire to gain control of the island of Cuba
February 1898 – February 1961

(A las víctimas de El Maine que fueron sacrificadas por la voracidad imperialista en su afán de apoderarse de la isla de Cuba.
Febrero 1898 – Febrero 1961)

Ernesto Moreno, an older Havana resident, remembers when the eagle was taken down. He said, "The eagle was torn down after the triumph of the revolution because it's the symbol of imperialism, the United States, and the revolution ended all that." He felt it was a good change, and many Cubans agreed then.

Restoring the Monument

The head of the original eagle was later given to Swiss diplomats. Today, it is also located in the building of the Embassy of the United States, Havana. The main body and wings of the eagle are kept at the Havana City History Museum.

The museum's curator believes that putting the parts of the eagle back together could show good relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Some parts of the monument, including the original eagle, are currently being restored.

Gallery

• 

  The monument shortly after it was finished.

• 

  The monument as it looks today, from the front.

• 

  The monument as it looks today, from the side.

Other USS Maine Memorials

There are other monuments and memorials dedicated to the USS Maine in the United States. Some of these can be found in:

• Central Park in New York City
• Wood-Ridge, NJ
• Key West
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Annapolis

You can find more information about these memorials in the USS Maine: Memorials section of its main article.

See also

In Spanish: Monumento a las víctimas del Maine para niños