The arrival of 1898 was a continuation of tragedy for the Cuban people.
Under a series of brutal suppressions by Cuban Governor Weiler, the Cuban uprising suffered another heavy blow. The leader of the rebel army, Maximo Gomez, was even forced to escape into the mountains and hide in the woods.
If anyone familiar with history sees this scene, they may wonder why the Cuban uprising turned out like this. The reason is very simple. The governor of Cuba, Weiler, has not been removed from office. The most dangerous enemy to the rebels has been serving as
The Governor of Cuba never stopped encircling and suppressing the rebels for a moment. This step-by-step strategy allowed the rebels to never rest for a moment, and could only continue to deal with the Spanish encirclement and suppression troops in the mountains. Such a high-intensity battle,
It was too difficult for the rebel army. The constant casualties made people suffer from mental breakdown. People left without saying goodbye every day, which gradually caused the rebel army to collapse in the mountains and forests. The leader of the rebel army, Maximo Gomez, also had to
Hide first and wait for the opportunity.
The reason why Governor Weiler was not dismissed is also very simple. Although Prime Minister Castillo was also assassinated, he did not die as a result. The assassination anarchist, for some unknown reason, missed his pistol.
It didn't hit the vital point directly, but the shoulder was injured.
Since the Prime Minister was not killed, Madrid did not fall back into political turmoil, and Governor Werler, who was strongly promoted by the Prime Minister's faction to come to power, did not step down due to lack of support from Madrid.
Facing the gradual quelling of the Cuban uprising, the attitude of the United States, separated by an ocean, has become somewhat meaningful.
At this time, the New York News and the New York World were competing to report on Cuba. In their reports, the Spanish colonial army was causing a series of horrific tragedies in Cuba. It would be too childish to directly kill people. What about the Spanish army?
There are countless sensational reports such as the need for military officers to bathe in the blood of children, and the Spanish army using children to perform evil rituals.
Although the Spanish army did not do a good job in countering the rebellion, it did not act like a medieval wizard.
But no matter what, the reports in these two newspapers increased their sales.
Of course, if that's all, then we can describe these two newspapers as being for the sake of their readers, without any bottom line, and then the next report by the "New York Journal" will be a bit naked.
One day in June, the "New York Journal" published a letter said to be written by the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Depp de Lome, to his friends in Havana. In the letter, the minister hinted that Spain was preparing for the pending dispute.
of deceit during the negotiations on the trade agreement, and called President McKinley a "lesser statesman."
Such naked remarks angered the American people, and some officials called the letter "the worst insult to the United States in history."
Of course, we don’t know exactly how the letter got into the hands of the New York Journal, but at least we know one thing: all four U.S. cruise ships were put into service last month.
Faced with the accusations from the United States, Spanish Ambassador to the United States Lome, one of the parties involved, naturally denied it. He said that he had never written such a letter. As for the letter, like his own handwriting, it was forged and came from the Cuban rebellion.
Sympathizers do.
However, Lome's words did not appease the American people because major newspapers did not report what he said at all.
In addition, the U.S. Navy also announced that it will send the battleship "Maine" to visit the port of Havana, Cuba.
Sending warships to Cuba at this time was obviously an act of demonstration, and Spain did not dare to openly refuse it when facing the powerful United States.
So on June 19, the battleship Maine entered Havana Harbor.
Here we need to talk about the data of the Maine. Its length is 98.9 meters, its width is 17.4 meters, its maximum draft is 6.9 meters, and its displacement is 6,682 tons. The main gun falls on the deck at the rear of the ship, which is not only vulnerable to bad weather
It affects the ship's center of gravity and reduces its stability when sailing. In addition, there are two main guns on both sides of the ship, arranged in an echelon for firing front and rear.
It has four 10-inch (254 mm) Mark-II main guns, and six 6-inch (152 mm) Mark 3 guns, two each at the bow and stern, and the last two amidships.
In terms of crew establishment, the Maine has a total of 355 crew members, including 26 civilians, 290 sailors and 39 naval officers.
From the data point of view, the USS Maine does not look like a new ship that only appeared in 1895. Instead, it should have been launched in 1885 to be new enough. But what can be done about this? The shipbuilding industry of the U.S. Navy is like that. Besides, although this ship is in service
It was only three years ago, but it took a full nine years for the Maine to be launched and put into service, just because it needed testing.
In addition, the Maine's backwardness is also aimed at a limited number of powerful countries. As for other countries, it is only drooling.
Of course, for the Spaniards, the Maine is also a behemoth. Currently, the Spanish Navy's largest warship in the Caribbean is the Alfonso XIII. Its 4,700 tons can only reach a speed of 14 knots. As a ship, it has been in service for 24 years.
The combat effectiveness of the cruiser is worrying.
So when the Maine arrived, the Spanish navy was left with nothing but envy.
Of course, the arrival of the Maine also inspired American planters. In recent years, the United States has invested heavily in sugar cane planting and sugar production in Cuba.
Every year, Cuba transports over 100 million US dollars worth of sugar to the United States across the sea. It is precisely because of this benefit that the United States values Cuba so much.
However, the Maine's visit will also be the same to Cuba's colonial army. Its warships cannot go ashore, so what threat can they pose.
Life still needs to go on, and everyone still does what they should do. The officers and soldiers of the Maine also took advantage of their free time to stroll around Havana. Everything was so natural, except for the Cuban uprising (riot) that would make both parties unhappy.
Apart from the topic, life is just like that.
Ten days passed quickly like this, and except for the addition of the Maine, everything was the same in Havana's port.
It was late at night on July 2, and Havana Harbor was as quiet as ever. The officers and soldiers of the Maine, in addition to their normal duties, also fell asleep.
At this moment, a violent explosion sounded, and the ferocious explosion woke up the entire Havana. At this time, the Maine exploded. A large hole was directly blasted into the bottom of the port side of the Maine, and the ferocious seawater directly hit it.
The water was poured into the cabin of the Maine. At this time, the cabin door was basically open because the Maine was in resting state, and the ferocious seawater poured directly into it.
The Maine sank into the harbor shortly after the explosion. The explosion killed a total of 261 people, and 16 of the 94 survivors were injured.
The explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Port directly pushed the already tense relations between the United States and Spain into a more dangerous situation.
