Aug. 14, 2023

The Global Impact of the Spanish-American War

Though the brief Spanish-American War of 1898 is often overshadowed in American public memory by the world wars that followed it, the impact of that earlier conflict reverberated far beyond the shores of its primary battlegrounds in Cuba and the Philippines. The peoples of those two nations on opposite sides of the world suffered the brunt of the

June 13, 2023

U.S. Industrialization and Naval Technology before the Spanish-American War

When most people think of Civil War-era naval technology, it is generally USS Monitor that comes to mind. The low, iron-covered hull with its distinctive round turret is very different from the wooden-hulled steam frigates that made up most of the Civil War U.S. Navy, with their traditional rigging and sails. But while Monitor was dramatic, both in

June 6, 2023

The “Unhappy Controversy”: Admiral Sampson, Commodore Schley, and the Santiago Campaign of 1898

During World War II, Admiral Chester Nimitz famously kept his opinions of his fellow officers to himself. On one occasion in 1944, he revealed why. When a staff officer showed Nimitz a CINCPAC draft report critical of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey’s performance at the Battle of Leyte Gulf,[1] Nimitz sent it back with the following note: “What are

Feb. 7, 2023

Remember the Men of the Maine

On 15 February 1898, the battleship Maine exploded while visiting Havana, Cuba. The loss of the ship would drive the United States and Spain to war within a few months. However, the global significance of the disaster should not overshadow the lives lost and the many wounded. 253 men died in the explosion, and another seven died of injuries over

Feb. 7, 2023

Why did the USS Maine explode?

Few U.S. ships are as well remembered as the battleship Maine. Unlike Constitution, Monitor, or Enterprise, though, the ship is not famous for its wartime record, long career, or remarkable innovation. Rather, Maine is remembered for exploding in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898. The death of 260 crewmen and officers would be tragedy enough, but

Oct. 23, 2020

The Spanish-American War in Glass

In 2014, United States Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) photo archivists rediscovered a donation in their backlog of unprocessed collections containing approximately 325 original glass plate photographs from the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Based on the inscription located at the top of one of the two wooden boxes

Feb. 15, 2015

Navy and America Remember the Maine through Artifacts

It was a call to arms not unlike "Remember the Alamo" 62 years earlier. While that Texas bravado has endured the decades, memory may falter on a similar outcry: "Remember the Maine!" Or at least why it should be remembered at all. Unlike the Alamo, in Texas during its fight for independence in 1836, the Maine in this instance was not the state, but

June 20, 2014

NHHC Announces Spanish-American War Documentary Project

Members of the Navy Court of Inquiry examining Ensign Wilfrid V. Powelson, on board the U.S. Light House Tender Mangrove, in Havana Harbor, Cuba, circa March 1898. Those seated around the table include (from left to right): Capt. French E. Chadwick, Capt. William T. Sampson, Lt. Cmdr. William P. Potter, Ensign W.V. Powelson, Lt. Cmdr. Adolph Marix.

April 22, 2014

#Presence, #Platforms, #Power: Spanish-American War Shaped U.S.'s Strategy into 20th Century

The Battle of Manila Bay is shown in this colored print of a painting by J.G. Tyler, copyright 1898 by P.F. Collier. Ships depicted in left side of print are (l-r): Spanish Warships Don Juan de Ulloa, Castilla, and Reina Cristina. Those in right side are (l-r): USS Boston, USS Baltimore and USS Olympia.Collections of the Navy Department, purchased

April 21, 2014

#PresenceMatters: The Path to Conflict and Victory in the Spanish-American War

It lasted less than four months. Yet the Spanish-American War is among the top three key naval conflicts that defined the modern U.S. Navy, along with the War of 1812 and World War II. "The Navy's performance in those wars resonated with the public, and established the reputation the U.S. Navy enjoys today," said Dennis Conrad, an historian for the