. . . . "--04-24"^^ . . "Despite these advances, the Maine was out of date by the time she entered service, due to her protracted construction period and changes in the role of ships of her type, naval tactics and technology. The general use of steel in warship construction precluded the use of ramming without danger to the attacking vessel. The potential for blast damage from firing end\u2013on or cross\u2013deck discouraged en \u00E9chelon gun placement. The changing role of the armored cruiser from a small, heavily\u2013armored substitute for the battleship to a fast, lightly\u2013armored commerce raider also hastened her obsolescence. Despite these disadvantages, Maine was seen as an advance in American warship design. The Maine is best known for her catastrophic 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. 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\u2013American War later that year. While the sinking of the Maine was not a direct cause for action, it served as a catalyst, accelerating the approach to a diplomatic impasse between the U.S. and Spain. The cause of the Maine's sinking remains the subject of speculation. Suggestions have included an undetected fire in one of her coal bunkers, a naval mine and her deliberate sinking to drive the U.S. into a war with Spain."@en . . . . . . "--01-25"^^ . "Despite these advances, the Maine was out of date by the time she entered service, due to her protracted construction period and changes in the role of ships of her type, naval tactics and technology. The general use of steel in warship construction precluded the use of ramming without danger to the attacking vessel. The potential for blast damage from firing end\u2013on or cross\u2013deck discouraged en \u00E9chelon gun placement. The changing role of the armored cruiser from a small, heavily\u2013armored substitute for the battleship to a fast, lightly\u2013armored commerce raider also hastened her obsolescence. Despite these disadvantages, Maine was seen as an advance in American warship design."@en . . . . . . . . . . . . "USS Maine (ACR-1)"@en . . . . . "30"^^ . . . . . "--08-03"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . "--01-25"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . .