Arlington National Cemetery contains thousands of unidentified graves. The most famous of which is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visited by millions every year.
But just behind the tomb and its amphitheater you can find another memorial to obscure soldiers- those of the U.S.S. Maine.
On this day in 1898, the battleship exploded off the coast of Cuba, killing 253 men in the crew of 355. Most of the men killed were ordinary sailors: coal passers, coxswain, firemen, and so forth. Some were identified, but many more remain unknown to this day.
Remarkably, two of the survivors were Tom the Cat and Peggy the Pug, the ship’s animals.
The reactions to this explosion and sinking precepted the Spanish-American War, where a young Teddy Roosevelt found fame while in Cuba. The U.S.S. Maine remained in Havana Harbor for ten years until it was raised in 1910.
The mast rising from the center of the memorial is from the battleship itself, as is the bell attached to the door. The memorial is designed to look like the turret of a gunship, with the graves encircling it. Walking around it, you can read the names and occupations of the men engraved in the stone.
Arlington National Cemetery is a time machine, allowing us to step back in time and remember those who have fallen in service to our country.
Don’t forget to sign up for our email, sent every Friday!
