USS Maine's Ventilation Cowl - Woburn, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 28.791 W 071° 09.135
19T E 323097 N 4705300
A section of the USS Maine's ventilation cowl is on display on the Pleasant Street side of the Town Green in Woburn, MA.
Waymark Code: WMM41F
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/17/2014
Views: 3
On February 15, 1898 The battleship U.S.S Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, Cuba. Although the reason for the explosion is now considered to be unclear, the event precipitated the War Between Spain and the United States.
In the center of Woburn, MA there is an interesting artifact of this event in United States history. Within a large enclosure with glass sides in a landscaped corner of Woburn Town Green, the severely damaged ventilator cowl of the U.S.S. Maine is on display. The cowl rises from a concrete base and is folded down so as to nearly close the opening at the top of the cowl. A framed picture of the intact U.S.S. Maine leans against the cowl.
A plaque is placed inside the northeast corner of the display. It is inscribed:
VENTILATOR COWL
U.S.S. MAINE
BLOWN UP IN HAVANA HARBOR
FEBRUARY 15 1898
DONATED WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS
MARCH 23 1912
PLACED BY
CHARLES H MOLOY CAMP 42 U.S.W.V.
JULY 4 1913