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Crisis Response

McKinley orders Navy to investigate explosion of USS Maine

President William McKinley directed the Navy Department to conduct an official investigation into the explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.

McKinley orders Navy to investigate explosion of USS Maine

The ordered inquiry constituted the federal government's immediate, formal response to the Maine disaster and shaped public, naval, and diplomatic reaction that contributed to the escalation toward the Spanish–American War.

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