Construction of the battleship U.S.S. Maine was completed in 1894.  The ship was sunk in Havana Harbor on February 15th, 1898 resulting in 266 fatalities.  Salvage operations took place in 1912. In 1915, a memorial was erected in the Arlington National Cemetery. The original main mast, the ship’s bell, and an anchor are incorporated into the memorial.

Kreilick Conservation, LLC, as a sub-contractor to Anderson Burton, was responsible for LASER-cleaning the U.S.S. Maine mast and crow’s nest to prepare the surface for repainting. A 1000W pulsed Nd:YAG LASER operated at a wavelength of 1064nm was used for the project. Kreilick Conservation also removed, conserved, and re-installed the bronze elements of the Memorial, including the ship’s bell, doors, plaques, and window escutcheons.