Has it ever been possible to prove what actually caused the destruction of battleship Maine?

There is no consensus on what actually caused the destruction of the battleship Maine, which sank in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. The most widely accepted theory is that an internal explosion caused the ship to sink, although there is also evidence that the ship was sabotaged by a Spanish mine or torpedo.

The U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry, convened in 1898, concluded that the Maine was destroyed by an external explosion, and that the most probable cause was a Spanish mine or torpedo. However, this conclusion has been disputed by some historians, who argue that the evidence does not support the theory of an external explosion.

In 1976, a team of researchers from the Naval Surface Warfare Center conducted a new investigation of the Maine's wreckage, and they concluded that the ship was destroyed by an internal explosion. The team found that the damage to the ship's hull was consistent with an internal explosion, and that there was no evidence of an external explosion.

However, the 1976 investigation also raised some questions about the cause of the internal explosion. The team was unable to determine what caused the explosion, and they could not rule out the possibility that it was caused by a bomb placed on the ship by Spanish saboteurs.

In 2002, a team of researchers from the University of Maine conducted a third investigation of the Maine's wreckage, and they concluded that the ship was destroyed by an external explosion. The team found that the damage to the ship's hull was consistent with an external explosion, and that there was no evidence of an internal explosion.

The 2002 investigation also raised some questions about the cause of the external explosion. The team was unable to determine what caused the explosion, and they could not rule out the possibility that it was caused by a Spanish mine or torpedo.

In conclusion, there is no definitive answer to the question of what caused the destruction of the battleship Maine. The most widely accepted theory is that an internal explosion caused the ship to sink, although there is also evidence that the ship was sabotaged by a Spanish mine or torpedo.