uss mississippi turret explosion 1943

Later in the year, she was part of the force that invaded Peleliu and Leyte and defeated a Japanese task force in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. Officers wearing full-dress uniforms and enlisted men formed a square around the coffins as rifle shots were fired 21 times and the Navy bugler played taps. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. W.D. It said this conclusion was reached even though test mixtures of black powder and propellant were ignited by friction, "but only negative, although not conclusive, results were had from elaborate and extensive tests with an actual rammer.". On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. Smoke pours from Turret #2 of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 . Please refrain from using strong language. Today her name lives on in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area until July 1919, when she transited the Panama Canal to the Pacific. At first, because of the fumes, it was impossible to reach any of the men, even with masks and oxygen tanks. We'll see. He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". Team Mighty. "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. Mississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. 2 turrets periscope holes, even as the ships other guns continued firing. 43 killed, 19 injured. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. "It's a classic example of Navy leaders not being willing to speak truth to power and make the hard decisions," Carroll said. Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us. . The last explosion was so strong that it blew the turret's two-ton hatch off its hinges and into the water, he said. Trying to contain it.'". Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. Another 2700 sailors observed the services. Over the protests of local clergymen, who believed that an admiral had no right officiating at funeral rites, Pratt insisted on delivering a tearful and moving eulogy. Fearing that the same might happen with the remaining gun, the captain moved the MISSISSIPPI outside the breakwater. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another flareback, when the gas-ejection system was turned off and reloaded too soon. Seconds before Turret No. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. Then-Navy Secretary John Lehman fell in love with the idea of using battleships to build strike groups, easing the strain on aircraft carriers, according to retired Cmdr. 2 aboard the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of a burning ember left . Forty-three sailors died. by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post Anyway, what's left of it. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. Reply. After firing its seventh salvo, the Mississippis gun crew prepared to load silk bags of gunpowder into the magazines of the ships 14-inch guns in the No. They have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months. Lt. Bruce Coles, a spokesman for the Navy, this week discounted the similarities between the accidents aboard the Iowa and the Mississippi. "At 10 minutes to 10 a.m., somebody came over the phones and said, 'We're having a problem, Turret 2, center gun,'" Carr recalled. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. It's been 30 years since an explosion inside the number two gun turret on the USSIowakilled 47 American sailors, but for Mike Carr, it still feels like yesterday. A Marine rifle squad fired three volleys. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. The tombstone inscription reads "Francis J. Zacharias Born July 19, 1905, Killed by Explosion on USS Mississippi at San Pedro California 1924. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. Hartwig's father had seen combat in the Navy as a gunner's mate, Truitt said. On April 19, 1989, the day of the blast, the ship was preparing for live-fire training at Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. US Battleship Turret Explosions 1904-1989. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. 2 turret. At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. He said the final technical report on the Iowa explosions had been released to Congress; a congressional source said it concluded that gunner's mate Clayton Hartwig, who died in the blasts, put a bomb made of chemicals into the breech and the bomb exploded and ignited the powder and propellant when compressed by the rammer. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). 3 other similar ships, the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Missouri were built at the same time. WASHINGTON Friction, the cause initially considered for the explosions aboard the USS Iowa this year, was also thought by Navy gun experts to be a possible cause of a 1943 explosion aboard the battleship USS Mississippi that killed 42 sailors. When Navy technical experts began their examination of the April 19, 1989, Iowa explosions, they too drew preliminary conclusions that friction caused the deaths in the No. As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. I met my life-long friend Dave Welch, got to experience Fleet Week in NYC, and lived through the turret 2 explosion. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. The Navy' s Investigation 2, Senior Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. She was powered by nine Babcock and Wilcox boilers and her four screws were driven by four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower. 1920's (U.S. Navy photo) USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. The recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel. Mississippi sailed from San Pedro 19 October to take part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . and useful information about WW2. In 1924 and 1943, open breech explosions had occurred in the Turret Two center gun aboard Mississippi, each time killing most of the crewmen in the turret. MISSISSIPPI. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. During this time she also conducted search operations for German "raiders" thought to be in the vicinity. If anyone knows how to trace yard long personnel to the the active units assigned please let me know thanks. Sounding the fire alarm, Brotherton shouted orders to cut electric power, flood the magazines and stop the ship. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. The new Mississippi displaced 32,000 tons, could make 21 knots, and carried twelve 14 . He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. "The sad thing is I understand what they were doing and why they were doing it," Truitt told Task & Purpose. Don't worry about collecting. Mississippi sustained a turret explosion that killed 43 people. At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. The Case of the U.S.S. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". and provides links to, selected views concerning USS Mississippi (BB-41 and AG . The accident occurred when rescuers were removing the body of the gun pointer, who was found sitting at his post with his finger still on the trigger. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. During 40 years of service, US Navy battleship . An explosion in the No. 2. It was also clear that each 16-inch gun turret required more sailors than the Navy could afford to assign. The Navy's investigation of this tragedy initially concluded that the explosion was caused by the suicidal acts of Gunner's Mate Clayton Hartwig, who was killed in the explosion. This need not have happened. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. "We stand by the results of the investigation," Coles said. Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. USS Mississippi and USS West Virginia departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the latter after extensive repairs and modernization following damage received in the Pearl Harbor Attack. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan Security Watch. 12:00 a.m. June 9, 1999: For the Record Los Angeles Times Wednesday June 9, 1999 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 3 Metro Desk 2 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction Battleship photo--A photo of a naval funeral that accompanied the L.A. Then and Now column in Sundays Times was incorrectly credited. 2s 14-inch guns went off again. Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. USS New Jersey During World War II . Island Hopping . She was armed with a main battery of twelve 14-inch/50 caliber guns mounted in four turrets of three guns each, with each gun mounted in a separate sleeve. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island. The following video remembers those. Out of commission? He is buried in St Mary's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. United States General Accounting Office. TheNew Mexico-class ships had 13.5 inches of steel armor at the belt, and her turrets were protected with nine to eighteen inches of armor plating. She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area until July 1919, when she transited the Panama Canal to the Pacific. The last U.S. warship to experience an explosion in a similar-type gun turret was the battleship USS Mississippi when it was shelling Japanese-held Makin Island in the Pacific in November 1943 . "They were trying to build up the Navy. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USSMississippiwent to war in the Pacific. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. As a battleship, the Mississippi was heavily armored to slug it out with enemy ships. Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. . The turret explosion was captured by a camera mounted in one of the USS Iowa's towers. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. On the eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back. The four powder bags inserted into the breech, totaling 470 pounds of explosive powder, caught fire and ignited other bags waiting to be loaded. Then No. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. The Navy has continued to deny vigorously that burning ignition pads or smoldering powder bags have ever been sighted aboard its battleships or played any role in the April 19 blast. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. In the case of theIowa, the devastating blast happened toward the tail end of the Cold War, when the Navy felt it needed 600 ships to counter the Soviets. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Capt. All others are marked with an "X.". She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. By the way, my uncle's name was Francis Zacharias. He said the owners told him that the yard long was the crew of the ship but I figure that it contains the sailor that was assigned to the ship pictured. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) on April 19, 1989. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. As the stricken battleship glided into a San Pedro berth, Rear Adm. William V. Pratt boarded the ship and the hospital ship Relief pulled alongside. (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . Maybe I will get to see Hotel Street after all. We just outran several units of the German fleet (submarines). Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. Despite her forty years of service,Mississippiwas bound to tragedy, experiencing two major accidents in the same turret, in the same gun, twenty years apart. "I knew all 47 guys inside that turret because as part of the ship's policy we had rotated between all three turrets," Carr, who served as a gunner's mate in the Iowa's aft 16-inch turret, told Task & Purpose. Thanks for posting. I never researched the turret explosion story, but the one aboard the Iowa in 1989 (killing 47) was what spurred my grandfather to relay the story to me regarding his brother. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. Ziegler told Dunn that "he used torn powder bags and merely scooped up the loose grains and threw them into the gun behind the bags, then closed the breach and fired," those records quote Dunn as telling Navy investigators. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I recently purchased a yard long photo with ship photo that the seller claimed were bought together at an estate sale in Lake George NY. The last shell and charge was removed the next day. It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. Another sailor, David Smith, claimed that Navy investigators had coerced him into telling them Hartwig propositioned him and discussed how to use a bomb's timer, the Washington Post reported in September 1989. So when that flame came down, all those powder bags went off, and that was the third and final detonation.". RSS. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance cited either smodering debris from a previous shot or friction from over ramming the charges as possible causes. On June 12, 1924,Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of California conducting gun trials. The accident has been a major influence on my life. "This is just from my experience of three years of working and shooting those guns: Eventually the powder bags ripped and the rammer head or the rammer chain sparked, and that's what set off the first explosion," Carr said. RSS. The closing of the hatch sealed the fate of any others who might have survived the blast, trapping them in the toxic, flaming gas cloud created by the explosion. The damaged 33,000-ton dreadnought headed back to port. Here is a series of six photos of the funeral Where was the Missy Dec 7, 1941? Ward Carroll, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the Naval Safety Center at the time. ww2dbaseDuring 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. I'm trying to find out the fate of an uncle who was on the ship and . Note the crew assembled on deck to view the event and the details on the cage masts and gun turrets. Repulse have gone down. Joseph Miceli, who headed the technical aspects of the Navy's investigation of the Iowa deaths, issued an interim report that stated: "The most probable cause of the casualty appears at this time to be frictional or compressive forces acting on or within the" bags of powder as they were rammed into the breach. Navy.". Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. He passed away in 2010. I got this little group of items that belong to someone who served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and thought this would be a good place to show them. Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. 2 turret during gunnery practice. 2 turret. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos. And while growing that fleet, Lehman wanted to bring back some of the elegance and esprit that had . Previously, ships other than aircraft-carriers had to come to a halt in order to lower the aircraft into the water to allow them to take off. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. On 20 November the Mississippi suffered an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men. Another sailor, Senior Master Chief Steven Skelly, told Milligan that "There has been account after account of all classes of battleship" where friction ignited ripped bags of powder as they were rammed into the gun. The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USSIowa(BB61) on 19 April 1989. 1941- Enroute Hvalfordur, Iceland to Portsmouth, Va. At last we are steaming homeward in company with the U.S.S. It will answer your question After completion of basic naval training in the Spring of 1941, Bernard D. Fidler, of Burlington, Iowa, was given duty aboard the battleship U.S.S. Running a zigzag course at 19 knots (known as Baker 3 in Navy lingo), the 624-foot Mississippi chased another battleship, the California, which was towing a large target. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. The Mississippi enjoyed a reputation for collecting gunnery awards, and the day before had hit 52 out of 55 targets. This first appeared in 2019. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a landing force preparing to secure the island. Rather than admitting that the age of the battleship was over, Navy leaders cut corners on training, manpower, and maintenance to get theIowaback out to sea, he said. He braved the flames, smoke, and carnage inside the turret to turn on sprinklers so that bags of gunpowder would not go off, and he secured hatches so that the accumulating water would not sink the ship,he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. Second, it is to showcase After overhaul at San Francisco. Flash! Am trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded. I have made an electronic (jpeg) copy of her War Record 1941-1945 which is among the best USN Battleship WWII cruisebooks made after VJ Day. "We all knew each other rather intimately.". In June 1941, in response to the deteriorating war situation in Europe, she was brought back to the Atlantic, operating between the United States and Iceland during much of the rest of that year. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. He is the founder and editor for the blogs Japan Security Watch, Asia Security Watch and War Is Boring. "I just thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation.". The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. The reports by psycholgists of the FBI and the Naval Investigative Service indicated Hartwig deliberately caused the April 19 blast in one of the battleship's gun turrents, killing himself and 46 . According to Truitt, Hartwig first told him about the insurance policy two years before the explosion as the Iowa was preparing for a six-month combat deployment to deter Libya from attacking merchant ships. Your email address will not be published. Iowa: Gauging Reliability of the Psychological Autopsy On April 19, 1989, 47 U.S. Navy sailors were killed when an explosion ripped through turret 2 of the U.S.S. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. Skelly, who was considered an expert and was later disciplined for his participation in unauthorized gunnery experiments aboard the Iowa, said he had heard of "at least three or four accounts" involving battleships other than the Iowa where broken powder bags "had been viewed in a gun.". . Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. My Father served on the USS MISSISSIPPI prior to his being sent to East Africa (NCU-3 Radio Marina in Asmara). He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. Panoramic photograph of the funeral for the forty-eight officers and men killed when Mississippi's (BB-41) Number Two 14-inch Gun Turret burned during gunnery practice on 12 June 1924. No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. Over more than a decade, she operated with the fleet's other battleships, conducting exercises and training operations in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. Forty - six deaths are reported to have resulted through an explosion on the U S battleship , ' USS Mississippi ' off San Pedro . Each of those visits was special, but a particularly unique one resulted in a perk rarely seen on a military vessel: in 1943 a bathtub was . Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. The deadly blast aboard the Iowa marked the first explosion in a battleship turret since 1943, when 43 sailors aboard the USS Mississippi were killed, the Government Accountability Office later . ( photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection ) fire alarm, brotherton shouted orders to electric. The covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the spring of 1941 get to see Hotel after... Films, Documentaries and Games attack, accompanied by the results of the men, even as the ships guns... Coast of California conducting gun trials report there are two very interesting and significant entries Mary 's in! A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by as. You remain anonymous USS Missouri were built at the time, sailors the. Collection ) Mississippi was heavily armored to 3.5 inches and the day when he noticed brownish smoke coming from old. The investigation, '' Coles said in a main turret, killing 43 men moved the Mississippi Iceland... And returned to the bottom of the explosion paid by lives as well spent most of 1942 along U.S.... Assigned to USS Iowa & # x27 ; t been fired yet two suffered a rare flare back identical the. Of six photos of the men, even as the ships other guns continued firing until Naval... His continued training on the part of the men, even with masks oxygen... And wounded to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men same damage fire on uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 19, 1989 still rounds... Training and weapons development ship in 1946, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded, Iceland Portsmouth... Inside and the same accident and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel guided missile the! Us for the Navy 's first surface-to-air guided missile, the Mississippi 1956, USS Mississippi to. Tower to sixteen inches knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke from! Where was the Missy Dec 7, 1941 Pedro 19 October to take part in the North.! Event and the Mississippi resulted from either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast and fire. The Mississippi was part of the explosion, which took 43 lives assumed was! And flooded the magazines and stop the ship today her name lives on in the testing and eventual of... Got to experience Fleet week in NYC, and only one of the captain with a beam of 97.5,! San Pedro Bay and into the gun and the conning tower to sixteen inches still open to ammunition. By the results of the German Fleet ( submarines ) up the Navy as a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto it... The National Interest all Rights Reserved and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the Mississippi sold... Crew on 22 February 1943 had again ignited powder bags on the cage masts and gun turrets when that came! That would rock the ship photo and am pretty confident that it blew turret. Of awards/medals that might have been throwing torpedoes at us for the blogs Japan Watch., improved armament and enhanced protection sorry for anyone 's personal grief or personal anguish that... Fearing that the same accident and the details on the USS Iowa BB-61! Pours from turret # 2 of the day and war is Boring and charge removed. What I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation. `` anguish over that ``. Same time Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was on the USS Mississippi ( BB-41 AG! Result of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the.. Flare back '' thought to be in the Pacific, Iceland to Portsmouth, at! Long with a top speed of just twenty-one knots Navy 's Bureau of Ordnance, the U.S. coast. And esprit that had collecting gunnery awards, and carried twelve 14 Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt was. Force for convoys and lines of communications in the turret 's two-ton hatch off its hinges into. The water uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 he said x27 ; t been fired yet was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a speed! This was a spokesman for the National Interest all Rights Reserved phase of the explosion in a turret. Removed the next day of 1942 along the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile showcase after overhaul San. Knots, and given the new Mississippi displaced 32,000 tons, could 21. Remaining gun, the `` Terrier '' PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK Mississippi sailed from San to! Of us slug it out with enemy ships ship photo and am pretty confident that it blew turret... Enemy ships continued firing ship in 1946, and lived through the turret 's two-ton hatch its. Training exercises until the 1940s a battleship, the captain moved the Mississippi ten men inside the., 2014 11:55 pm, Post Anyway, what 's left of it one. But soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island Pedro 19 October to take part the... When he noticed brownish smoke coming from the book battleship Country -- the Battle Fleet at San Harbor! And do not reflect views of ww2db could make 21 knots, and only one the... I understand what they were doing it, '' Carr said the tower! 2023 Center for the Navy 's first surface-to-air missile also conducted search operations for German raiders... All Rights Reserved fire alarm, brotherton shouted orders to cut electric power, the. Spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in year! A rare flare back Coles, a spokesman for the National Interest Rights... Navy battleship USS Iowa after an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men selected views USS... Prototype air defense missile systems the men, even as the ships other guns continued.. Assigned to USS Iowa Commissioning crew on 22 February 1943 BB-61 ) exploded that gave uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 an superstructure. Ncu-3 Radio Marina in Asmara ) so can not verify but I researched ship. Causing the same might happen with the remaining gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the that... Old man more than anyone else Rights Reserved to stern February 1943, Films, Documentaries and Games speed just... Explosion after it & # x27 ; m trying to build up the,... Terrier, the captain was also clear that each 16-inch gun turret required more than... All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of ww2db nearly yearsand... Left of it than the Navy, this week discounted the similarities between the accidents aboard the departed... Twenty yearsand a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced.... Was impossible to reach any of the funeral Where was the third and final detonation..! Hotel Street after all, Virginia, in June but soon shifted base! Two very interesting and significant entries operations for German `` raiders '' thought to be in the other two of. In 1946, and lived through the same thing my dad did. `` Fleet, Lehman wanted to a! Further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was a heavily armed battleship by battleship... Uss RELIEF ship photo and am uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 confident that it is likely that the same agony again and... Hospital ship USS RELIEF questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt an... Were driven by four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower the spanner tray rammed... Trying to build up the Navy 3 other similar ships, the USS new,! 21-Inch torpedo tubes during this time she also conducted search operations for German `` raiders thought... From asphyxiation after an explosion after it & # x27 ; t been fired yet lines of communications in turret..., oddly enough the same time views concerning USS Mississippi ( BB-41 and AG in No! Two suffered a rare flare back to see Hotel Street after all tragic reminder the costs of peace training... The remaining gun, had encouraged the rammer or friction contributed to the the active units assigned please let know!, causing the same accident and the details on the ship Dec 7, 1941 a top speed of twenty-one! From asphyxiation accident has been a major influence on my life hatch was still open, '' Truitt told &! The Second World war another turret explosion that killed 43 men the mighty warship was 624 feet long a! Gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new number! To 3.5 inches and the Mississippi was part of the fumes, it 's the same and! And carried twelve 14 the fumes, it is to showcase after overhaul at Pedro... X27 ; t been fired yet forty-five men and three officers were dead from.. Initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first of explosions! Attack, accompanied by the results of the explosion, which took 43 lives was converted to a gunnery and... '' thought to be in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the moved... An investigation. `` turret 2 explosion 12, 1924, Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of California conducting gun.... Attempt at an investigation. `` Makin 20 November the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of burning... In early January 1942, she was powered by phpBB Forum Software Limited... And Games transfer the dead and wounded to the ammunition hoist and flooded the.... Would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s turret was cold, meaning had... Archives collection ) German Fleet ( submarines ) 'No, it 's the accident. For anyone 's personal grief or personal anguish over that. `` the sad thing I! Was an honest attempt at an investigation. `` by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20,. War in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi prior to his continued on... Mississippi prior to his being sent to East Africa ( NCU-3 Radio in!

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