"At 9:40 on the evening of 15 February, a terrible explosion on board shattered the stillness in the harbor - virtually obliterating the forward third of the ship. The remaining wreckage rapidly settled to the bottom of the harbor. Most of the crew were sleeping or resting in the enlisted quarters in the forward part of the ship when the explosion occurred. Two hundred and sixty-six men lost their lives as a result of the disaster: 260 died in the explosion or shortly thereafter, and six more died later from injuries.
Spanish officials and the crew of a nearby steamer acted quickly in rescuing survivors and caring for the wounded. The attitude and actions of the former allayed initial suspicions that hostile action caused the explosion.
A board of inquiry was immediately formed to determine the reason for the destruction. The inquiry, conducted onsite, lasted four weeks. The condition of the submerged wreck and the lack of technical expertise prevented the board from being as thorough as later investigations. In the end, they
concluded that a mine had detonated under the ship. The board did not attempt to fix blame for the placement of the device.
When the Navy's verdict was announced, the American public reacted with predictable outrage. Fed by inflammatory articles in the "Yellow Press" blaming Spain for the disaster, the public had already placed guilt on the Spanish government. Although he continued to press for a diplomatic settlement to the Cuban problem, President McKinley accelerated military preparations begun in January 1898 when an impasse appeared likely.
In 1911 the Navy Department ordered
a second board of inquiry after Congress voted funds for the removal of the wreck of Maine from Havana Harbor. U.S. Army engineers built a cofferdam around the sunken battleship, thus exposing it, and giving naval investigators an opportunity to examine and photograph the wreckage in detail. Finding the bottom hull plates in the area of the reserve six-inch magazine bent inward and back, the 1911 board
concluded that a mine had detonated under the magazine, causing the explosion that destroyed the ship.
Technical experts at the time of both investigations
disagreed with the findings, believing that spontaneous combustion of coal in the bunker adjacent to the reserve six-inch magazine was the most likely cause of the explosion on board the ship. In 1976, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover published his
book, "
How the Battleship Maine Was Destroyed". The admiral became interested in the disaster and wondered if the application of modern scientific knowledge could determine the cause. He called on two experts on explosions and their effects on ship hulls. Using documentation gathered from the two official inquiries, as well as information on the construction and ammunition of Maine, the experts
concluded that the damage caused to the ship was inconsistent with the external explosion of a mine.
The most likely cause, they speculated, was spontaneous combustion of coal in the bunker next to the magazine.
Something to consider.
Remember the Maine 
Hazardous fuels 
. Which model do you think affords the most useable bunker space? I'll be making the gasifier and testing it on a big block Ford truck engine before considering installing it on a boat.
Wow! 
What speed do you troll? 
and such. If you are trolling that slow, do you run one engine at a time? What is your fuel burn rate while trolling
What RPM and size engine(s)?
Linear Mode
