USS Maine (ACR-1) known for her loss in Havana Harbor on the evening of 15 February 1898. Sent to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain, she exploded suddenly, without warning, and sank quickly, killing nearly three quarters of her crew. The cause and responsibility for her sinking remained unclear after a board of inquiry investigated. Nevertheless, popular opinion in the U.S., fanned by inflammatory articles printed in the "yellow press" by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, blamed Spain. The phrase, "Remember the "Maine!" To hell with Spain!", became a rallying cry for action, which came with the Spanish–American War
Third Battle of San Juan (1898) the next day it quickly polished off "Antonio Lopez" by firing twenty incendiary shells into the vessel, sinking it. Though "Antonio Lopez" had been sunk, she had successfully delivered her cargo, ensuring that any American assault on San Juan would be met with stronger resistance. Today, the wreck of the SS "Antonio Lopez" is a National Historic Landmark and a public dive site. Third Battle of San Juan (1898) The Third Battle of San Juan began on 28 June 1898 when an American auxiliary cruiser intercepted a Spanish blockade runner. A Spanish squadron attempted to rescue the blockade runner and