Remember The Maine Day Is This Friday In Bangor

This Friday, February 15th, marks the 128th anniversary of the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.  Area veterans are encourage to gather at Bangor's Davenport Park to remember those that died that day.

It was on this date in 1898 that the USS Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor, killing 252 U.S. service men.  The cause of the explosion was never determined, but it propelled our country into the Spanish-American War.

The Battleship Maine Monument stands in Davenport Park, at the corner of Main and Cedar Streets in Bangor, where this Friday's service begins at 12 noon.  It contains the shield and scrolls that were recovered from the wreckage of the ship in Havana Harbor.  The Monument was placed in Davenport Park back in 1922.

The Monument has a plaque attached to it that contains the following inscription: "To the memory of the soldiers and sailors of the Spanish-American War 1989. Shield and scrolls recovered from wreckage of USS Maine blown up Havana Harbor, Cuba February 15, A.D. 1898. Erected by the city of Bangor, A.D. 1922."

Today's version of the USS Maine is a ballistic submarine that carries a little more firepower than its predecessor, 24 nuclear warheads.