USS Maine (ACR-1), commissioned in 1895, was the first United States Navy ship to be named after the state of Maine. Originally classified as an armored cruiser, she was built in response to the and the increase of naval forces in Latin America. Maine and her near-sister ship reflected the latest European naval developments, with the layout of her main armament resembling that of the British ironclad  and comparable Italian ships. Her two gun turrets were staggered en échelon, rather than on the centerline, with the fore gun sponsoned out on the starboard side of the ship and the aft gun on the port side, with cutaways in the superstructure to allow both to fire ahead, astern or across her deck. She dispensed with full masts thanks to the increased reliability of steam engines by the time of her construction.