Essay on The Sinking of the USS Maine. Was it an Accident?

Some believe it was an accident, others believe that it was the work of the United States’ enemy. The USS Maine was a navy ship that ended up sinking in the Havana Harbor in Cuba. When the ship sank it was during the time period that the United States and Spain aren't getting along with each other. So the United States automatically assumed that it was the Spanish trying to get back at the United States. That day that the ship sunk was a busy day for the Navy Department, but the Maine was always under guard. So there was no way possible, that the Spanish could have possibly put their plan into action because the Maine was never left without anyone on guard, watching. The sinking of the USS Maine was an accident because it is common to happen, there were guards, guarding all night long, and the Spanish didn’t have the information and skills and tools necessary to make this plan work well.

One important reason that shows that the USS Maine sinking was an accident was that explosions like that happened often, it was in fact common to happen with ships. ”Captain Schuley, who knows a great deal about war ships...said that fires would sometimes start in the coal bunkers, and he told of such a fire on board another war ship that started close to the magazine” (Document B: New York TImes). This section of the New York Times article is showing that an expert on ships, thinks that it is ridiculous that anyone would think that the USS Maine sinking was not an accident because, with those kind of ships it was common for there to be explosions. Captain Schuley was explaining the whole process and how it possibly happened and it completely makes sense.

Navy ships are constantly working so they continue to get extremely hot from working so much, therefore the fire started and the explosion happened, it only makes sense. It was most definitely an accident, the Spanish are not at fault. ”The fire became so hot that the heat blistered the steel wall between the fire and the ammunition before the bunkers and magazine were flooded with water to stop the fire” (Document B: New York Times).This quote also from the New York TImes is also describing more about what happened after the ship got so hot, that then led to the explosion and the sinking of the Maine. There is a clear explanation for everything that happened, so everything that the Americans said about the Spanish being guilty and making up all the lies was not necessary because it was simply an accident. In conclusion, the ship was not sunk on purpose by the Spanish people, there was an accident within the ship causing it to explode and sink. 

However, some may argue that the Spanish were the ones that sunk the USS Maine. It is argued that the Spanish had a clear plan to drop and anchor over a harbor mine when all of the guards were sleeping. While there may be some truth to this and it seemed like it makes sense and it isn’t a lie, it would make more sense to say that the USS Maine sinking was an accident because there is much more evidence proving that. Seeing that what happened was  common, but the Spanish say that they had a plan when to put into play when the guards of the Maine were sleeping.

But according to the New York Times, their plan couldn’t have possibly worked because they aren’t believed to be educated enough and even if they were, the Maine was under guard and full surveillance. So even if the Spanish had a devious thorough plan, they couldn’t have done it because the Maine was constantly under guard and no one went to sleep, leaving them no time to put their plan into action. But even if they eventually went to sleep, they believe that the Spanish couldn’t possibly have the tools and information necessary to make this plan work. In conclusion, there was no way that the Spanish were guilty.

The sinking of the USS Maine was definitely an accident because it was likely to happen  in ships, there were always guards, guarding all night long, and the Spaniards didn’t have the information, skills and tools necessary to make their plan work well. It only made more sense that what happened to the ship was an accident and that the Spanish was not at fault because there were guards at all times and the area was never left unattended, and explosions like that are common to happen. So that is what happened to the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba and the Spanish is to not be blamed.