An event as seemingly insignificant as the sinking of a ship can change the course of world history. Such was the fate of the USS Maine (ACR-I), a second-class dreadnought battleship launched by the US Navy in 1890.

The 6,682-ton heavily armed vessel was used to patrol the US East Coast and the Caribbean. On Feb. 15, 1898, she exploded and sank while at anchor in Havana, Cuba. The US Government blamed Spain for the incident, precipitating the short Spanish-American War. After 10 weeks of intense hostilities, the US and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris in which Spain surrendered Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the US, and relinquished sovereignty over Cuba. Following the Spanish-American War, the US cemented control of Central America and the Caribbean and started to expand its power into the Far East and Asia. The sinking of the USS Maine thus heralded the rise of the US as a global superpower.

The USS Maine is one of many famous warships showcased in the Evergreen Maritime Museum. The scale model reveals intricate details of the ship’s deck, including her many gun turrets and heavily armored conning tower.