Century of remembering

An explosion — from a bomb, a mine, coal dust? — ripped through the U.S.S. Maine as it sat in Havana Harbor off Cuba Feb. 15, 1898, killing 260 sailors and helping to set the stage for the Spanish-American War. Remember? Very few people do, making an observance here of the 100th anniversary of the explosion an especially important event.

No one is certain what sank the Maine, but its role in building popular support to help free Cuba from Spanish rule is clear. “Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!” was a rallying cry that in May 1898 sent a U.S. naval squadron to Manilla Bay in the Philippines, where it destroyed the ill-prepared Spanish fleet. The war was over by summer, ending one nation’s colonial interests and expanding another’s.

These days, however, the slogan “Remember the Maine” has outlived the memory of the reasons that people were supposed to remember it. The U.S.S. Maine Centennial Commission’s plans for Feb. 14 and 15 should remind everyone of its significance. The commission’s two-day event in Brewer and Bangor is filled with exhibits, receptions, recountings of the Maine and music from the previous century. At 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer, Don Carrigan of Maine Public Television will show a documentary on the U.S.S. Maine, which will be shown on television the next day.

Alongside exhibits of old photos, weapons, letters and souveniers of the time, crew members of the Maine’s descendant, the USS Maine submarine, will be on hand to answer questions and meet residents of the state that gave their ship its name. The submarine is actually the third Maine; the second was a battleship commissioned in 1904.

The highlight of the weekend will take place at noon Sunday at Davenport Park in Bangor, when the restored shield and scroll from the bow of the original Maine will be dedicated. Though neglected for years, the centennial commission has done a wonderful job restoring the shield and scroll and presenting its place in history.

Now that the commission has brought back this piece of history, however, it wants to maintain it, and that will cost approximately $100,000. The Legislature is expected to be asked for $20,000. Private donations are needed for the rest. To help this worthy cause, send contributions to USS Maine Centennial Fund, P.O. Box 1806, Bangor 04402.