Answer: The US Navy Rear Admiral that asked naval historians to investigate the Maine’s sinking was Hyman G. Rickover.
Explanation: Hyman G. Rickover was a US Navy officer and engineer who is known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy” for his role in developing and overseeing the first nuclear-powered submarines and ships. He was also interested in naval history and technology, and he initiated several investigations and studies on historical naval topics.
One of his investigations was on the sinking of the USS Maine, a US Navy ship that exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba, on February 15, 1898. The incident sparked the Spanish-American War, as many Americans blamed Spain for the attack. However, the exact cause of the explosion was never conclusively determined by the official inquiries at the time.
In 1974, Rickover asked naval historians to reexamine the evidence and conduct new tests and analyses on the Maine’s sinking. He also commissioned a replica of part of the ship’s hull and conducted experiments with explosives to simulate various scenarios. He published his findings in a book titled How the Battleship Maine Was Destroyed in 1976.
Rickover concluded that the most likely cause of the Maine’s sinking was an accidental fire in one of the coal bunkers that ignited the adjacent ammunition magazines. He ruled out the possibility of an external mine or torpedo, as there was no evidence of such a device or its impact on the ship’s hull. He also dismissed the idea of sabotage or conspiracy by Spain or any other party.
Rickover’s investigation was controversial and challenged by some historians and experts who disagreed with his methods and conclusions. However, his investigation also stimulated new interest and research on the Maine’s sinking and its historical significance. Rickover’s investigation remains one of the most comprehensive and influential studies on the topic.
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