The United States Battleship MAINE exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba on February 15, 1898. The rallying cry, "Remember the MAINE" swept the nation, inciting public opinion and precipitating the Spanish-American War. In March, 1915, 229 victims of the explosion were reinterred from Cuba and buried here in Section 24. The Secretary of the War by Act of Congress was authorized and directed to remove the mast of USS MAINE and place it upon a foundation at Arlington National Cemetery. The Memorial was dedicated on February 15, 1915, the 17th anniversary of the sinking of the vessel. The names of the victims of the explosion are inscribed on the foundation of the monument.
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