This photo shows the men of the U.S.S. Maine baseball team. Of the eleven shown below, all were killed except for John H. Bloomer, back row, far left. William Lambert, back row, far right was the only African-American on the squad, and was a left-handed pitcher known as a “master of speed, curves, and control.”
In 1897, the team beat their rival U.S. Navy team from the U.S.S. Marblehead to win the Navy baseball championship. On February 15th, 1898, the U.S.S. Maine exploded under mysterious circumstances in Havana harbor.
Photo shows the U.S.S. Maine baseball team including pitcher William Lambert (back row, far right) and John H. Bloomer (back row, far left). All of the team members except for John Bloomer were killed in the explosion of the Maine on February 15, 1898.
Source: Library of Congress
