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Naval Court Report

Naval Court Report image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
April
Year
1898
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

To the Congress of the United States: For some time prior to the visit of the Maine to Havana harbor our consular representatives pointed out the advantages to fiow from the visit of national ships to the Cuban waters, in accustominar the people to the presence of our flag as the symbol of good will and of our ships in the fulfillment of the mission of protection to American interests, even though no immediate need therefore might exist. Accordingly on the 24th of January last, after conference with the Spanish minister, in which the renewal of visits of our war vessels to Spanish waters was diseussed and accépted. the" peninsular authorities at Madrid and Havana were advised of the purpose of this government to resume friendly naval visits at Cuban ports and that in that view the Maine would forthwith cali at the port of Havana. This announcement was received by the Spanish government with appreciation of the friendly eharacter of the visit of the Maine and with the notification of intention to return the court esy by pending Spanish ships to the principal ports of the United States. Maine Kuters Havana Harhor. Mennwhile the Maine entered the port of Havana on the 25th of January, her arrival being marked with no special incident tiesides the exchange of customary salutes and ceremonial visits. The Maine contimied in the harbor of Havana during the three weeks followlng her arrival. No appreciable excitement attended her stay; on the contrary, a feeling of relief and confidence followed the resumption of the long interrupted friendly intercourse. So noticeable was this immediate effect of her visit that the consul general strongly urged that the presence of our ships in Cuban waters should be kept up by retaining the Maine at Havana, or in the event of her recall, by sending another vessel to take her place. At forty minutes past 9 in the evening of the 15th of February the Maine was destroyed by an explosión, by which the entire forward part of the ship was utterly wrecked. In this catastrophe two officers and 260 of her crew perished, those who were not killed outright by her explosión being penned between decks by the tangle of wreckage and drowned by the immediate sinking of the huil. Asaistance Was Prompt. Prompt assistance was rendered by the neighboring vessels anchored in the harbor, aid being especially given by the boats of the Spanish cruiser Alphonso XII and the Ward line steamer City of Washington, which lay not far distant. The wounded were generously cared for by the authorities of Havana, the hospitals being freely opened to them, while the earliest recovered bodies of the dead were interred by the municipality in a public cemetery in the city. Tributes of grief and sympathy were offered from all official quarters of the island. The appalling ealamity feil upon the people of our country with crushins forcé and for a brief time an intense excitement prevailed, which in a community less just and self-controlled thanours, might have led to hasty acts of blind resentment. This spirit, however, soon gave way to the caïmer processes of reason and to the resolve to investígate the facts and await the material proof before forming a judgment as to the cause, the responsibility, and if the facts warranted, the remedy due. Court of Inquiry Organizeri. This course necessarily recommended itself from the outset to the executive, for only in the ligb.t of a dispassionately ascertained certainty could it determine the nature and measure of its full duty in the matter. The usual procedure was followed. as in all cases of casualty or disaster to national vessels of any maritime state. A naval court of inquiry was at once organized, composed of officers well qualified by rank and practical experience to discharge the onerous duty imposed upon them. Aided by a strong force of wreekers and divers the court proeeeded to make a thorough investigation on the spot, employing every available me&ns for the impartial and exact determination of the causes of the explosión. lts operations have been conducted with the utmost deliberation and judgment. and while independently pursued, no source of information was neglected and the fullest opportunity was allowed for a simultaneous investigation by the Spanish authorities. FiricltiisH of the Court. The finding of the court of inquiry was reaohed after twenty-three days of eontinuous labor, on the 21st of March and having been approved on the 22d by the :ommander-in-ehief of the I'nited Stat -rs naval force on the north Atlantic stïtion, was transmitted to the executive. It is herewilh laid before the congress, togetner with the voluminous testimony takcn before the court. lts purport is. in brief, as follows: "When the Maine arriv=d at Havana Ehe was conducted by the regular government pilot to buoy No. i, to which she was moored in from five and onehalf to six fathoms of water. The state of discipline on board and the condiüon of her magazines, boilers, coal bunkers and storage compartments are passed in review, with the conclusión that excellent order prevailed and that no indication of any cause for an internal explosión existed in any quarter. At 8 o'clock in the evening of Feb. 15 everything had been reported secure and all was quiet. At forty minutes past 9 o'clock the vessel was suddenlj destroyed. Two Dlfttlnct Kxplohion. Thore were two distinct explosiona, ■svith a brief interval between them. The flrst lifted the forward part of the ship very perceptibly; the second, which was more prolonged, is attributed by the court to the partial explosión of two or more of the forward magazines. The evidence of the divers establishes that the after part of the ship was practically intact, and sank in that condition a very few minutes after the explosión The forward part was completely demolished. TJpon the evidence of concurrent ex ternal cause the iinding of the court is as folio ws: "At frame 17 the outer shell of the ship, from a point eleven and one-hal feet from the middle line of the shi] and six feet above the keel when in its normal position, has been forced up si" as to be now tour feet above the sur face of the water; therefore, abou thirty-four feet above where it woul be had the ship f,unk uninjured. Qntoide Bottom Platinar líeiit. "The outside bottom plating is ben into a reversed '.V' shane, the afte wing of which, about fifteen feet 6roa and thlrty-twö feet in fengtlT (Trom frame 17 to frame 25) is doubled back upon itself against the continuation of the same plat ng extending forward. "At frame 18 the vertical keel is broken in two and keel bent into an angle singular to the angle formed foi the outside plates. This break is abo ut six feet below the surface of the water and about thirty feet above its normal position. "In the opinión of the court this effect could have be;jn produoed only by the explosión of a mine situated under the bottom of the ship, at about frame 18 and somewhat on the port side of the Bhip." Conelnfitoiis of tlte Court. The conclusions of the court are: That the loss of the Maine was not in any respect due to fault or negligenee on the part of any of the officers or members of her crew. That the ship was destroyed by the explosión of a submarine mine, which caued the partial explosión of two or more of her forward magazines: and. That no evidence has been obtainable fixing the responsibility for the destruction of the Maine upon any person or persons. I have directed that the finding of the court of inquiry and the views of this government thereon be communicated to the government of her majesty, the queen, and I do not permit myelf to doubt that the sense of justice f the Spatiish nation will díctate a ourse of action suggested by honor nd the friendly relations of the two iovernments. It was the duty of the executive o ad vise the congress of the resul t, nd in the meantime delibérate considration is invoked. WILLIAM M'KINLKY. TKXT OF THE REPORT. Flndings and Conclusión of the Naval Board of Inquiry. The following is the full text of the eport of the court of inquiry: U. S. S. Iowa, First Rate.- Key West, Fla., Monday, March 21, 1S98.- After uil and mature consideration of all he testimony before it, the court finds s follows: 1. That the United States battleship klaine arrived in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, on the 25th day of January, 1898, nd was taken to buoy No. 4, in from ive and a haif to six fathoms of water, jy the regular government pilot. The Jnited States consul general at Ha■ana had notifled the authorities at hat place the previous evening of the ntended arrival of the Maine. 2. The state of discipline on board the Maine was excellent, and all orders and egulations in regard to the care and afety of the ship were strietly carried ut. All ammunition was stowed away n accordance with instructions, and jroper care was taken whenever ammunition was handled. Nothing was towed in any of the magazines or shell ooms which was not permitted to be towed there. Magazines Always l.mkeil. The magazines and shell rooms were always locked after haring been pened, and after the destruction of the Maine the keys were found in their iroper place in the captain's cabin, everything having been reported secure hat evening at 8 o'clock. The temperatures of the magazines and shell rooms were taken daily and reported. The only magazine which iad an undue amount of heat was the after 10-inch magazine and that did not explode at the time the Maine was destroyed. The torpedo war heads were all stowed in the after part of the ship, under the ward room, and neither aused nor participated in the destrucion of the Maine. The dry gun cotton jrimers and detonators were stowed in he cabin aft and remote from the scène of the explosión. The waste was carefully looked after on obard the Maine to obvíate danger. Special mders in regard to this had been given jy the commanding offieer. Varnishes. dryers, alcohol and other combustibles of this nature were stowed on or above he Maine deck and could not have had anything to do with the destruction of he Maine. The medical stores were stowed aft under the ward room, and remote from :he scène of the explosión. No dangerous stores of any kind were stowed beow in any of the other storerooms. The coal bunkers were inspected. Of those bunkers adjoining the forward nagazines and shell rooms four were empty, namely, B 3, B 4, B 5, B 6. A 15 had been in use that day and A 16 was full of New River coal. This coal had been carefully inspected before receiving it on board. The bunker in which it was stowed was accessible on three sides at all times, and the fourth side at this time on account of bunkers B 4 and B 6 being empty. This bunker, A 18, had been inspected that day by the engineer officer on duty. The firealarms in the bunkers were in working order, and there had never been a case of spontaneous combustión on board the Maine. The two after boilers of the ship were in use at the time of the disaster, but for auxiliary purposes only, with a eomparatively low pressure of steam, and being tended by a reliable watch. These boilers could not have caused the explosión of the ship. The four forward boilers have since been found by the divers and are in fair condition. The Night of the Explosión. On the night of the destruetion of the Maine everything had been reported secure for the night at 8 p. m. by reliable persons, through the proper authorities. [o the commanding cffieer. At the time the Maine was destroyed the ship was quiet, and, therefore, least Hable to accident eaused by movements from these on board. 3. The destruetion of the Maine occurred at 9:40 p. m. on the lüth day of February, 139S, in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, being at the time moored in the same buoy to which she had been taken upon her arrival. There were two explosions of a distinctly different character, with a very short but distinct interval between them, and the forward part of the ship was lifted to a marked degree at the time of the first explosión. The first explosión was more in the nature of a report, like that of a gun: while the second explosión was more open, prolonged. and of greater volume Thls second explosión was, in the opinión of the court, caused by the partia explosión of two or more of the forward magazines of the Maine. Condition of the Wreek. 4. The evidence bearing on this, being principally obtiined from divers, die not enable the court to form a definite conclusión as to the condition of the wreek, although it was establiahed tha the after part of the ship was practical ly intact, and sank in that condition a very few minutes after the destructioi of the forward part. The facts in regard to the forward part of the ship are, however established by the testimony: That portion of the side of the pro tective deck, which extends from abou frame 30 to about frame 41, was blowr up aft, and over to port. The main deel from about frame 30 to about frame 41 was blowij up aft, and slightly over to starboard. foldiïlg the forward part o the middle superstructura over and on top Of the after part. This was. in th opinión of the court. eaused by the par tial explosión of two or mure of th forward magazines of the Maine. Tlilrty-Foiir Ffeet Out of I'oK.ti.m. 5. At frame 17, the outer Shell (.f .h Conti nued on Fourth Page.

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Ann Arbor Argus
Old News