Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine (Havana) Circle in New York City; Key West; Arlington National Cemetery; and Annapolis. (See USS "Maine": Memorials) Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine (Havana) The Monument to the Victims of the USS "Maine" (Spanish: "Monumento a las víctimas del Maine") was built in 1925 in on the Malecón boulevard at the end of Línea street, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, built in honor of the American sailors that died in the explosion of in 1898, which served as the pretext for the United States to declare war on Spain thus starting the Spanish–American War. The ship had
Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes forces hunting Cervera found his squadron there on the evening of 27 May 1898, and a 37-day blockade of the harbor ensued. During the blockade, "Reina Mercedes" traded blows with the American blockaders. On 3 June 1898, the U.S. Navy attempted to trap the Spanish ships in the harbor by sinking the collier in the entrance channel. Spanish shore batteries disabled "Merrimac", and she drifted up the channel toward the anchored Spanish warships; "Reina Mercedes", the armored cruiser , and the destroyer opened fire on "Merrimac" as well, and the collier soon sank in a position which did not block