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In 1898, many Americans wanted to start a war with Spain.  The USS Maine was sent to Havana to protect Americans.  It blew up in the harbor, due most likely to an explosion the ship caused, and started the Spanish-American War.  In the explosion, 260 American sailors were killed.  Right after the Revolution, a mob tore the eagle off the statue.  Now, Fidel Castro has placed a plaque on it, which reads, "To the victims of the Maine, who were sacrificed by imperialist voracity in its eagerness to seize the island of Cuba."