USS Mississippi (BB41AG128), the second of three members of the New Mexicoclass, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state. Note, however, he is identified as Frederick. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. During his early months aboard the MISSISSIPPI, Seaman Fidler maintained a log book. The gunners on all three battlewagons were competing for a $20 prize that Congress had voted to award the fleets most proficient naval marksman. 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. "Interestingly, I was never read my rights, nor did I realize that I was a suspect," Truitt told Task & Purpose. The crew members in the upper chambers of the massive gun turret aboard the USS Iowa were killed by the explosion and fire while sailors working several levels below suffocated when the blast sucked all the oxygen from their chambers, Navy officials said Friday. Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). The Mississippi enjoyed a reputation for collecting gunnery awards, and the day before had hit 52 out of 55 targets. Fire in center gun, turret 2. USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. 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. Later, the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him. Here is a portion of a realphoto postcard showing the removal of the dead once the ship returned to port. 2 turret of the battleship USS Mississippi in 1943 that killed 43 sailors was caused by a "flareback" when unexpelled gases from a previous round ignited powder bags. 2 turrets periscope holes, even as the ships other guns continued firing. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. He is buried in St Mary's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". Almost immediately upon his assignment to the ship, he found himself in the midst of the war, although the U.S. was "officially" neutral at the time. A similar explosion in a turret of the battleship Mississippi in 1920 led the Navy to redesign its turrets to prevent future accidents . Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. 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. 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. "This is essentially what happened. Available for both RF and RM licensing. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. Black smoke poured out from the burning No. I heard they are going to put up a telephone line from Portsmouth, Virginia, to Hvalfordur, Iceland, using the periscopes for poles. He passed away in 2010. "They knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy put together.". She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. The goal of this 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. You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . Iowa. In a chilling reprise of the 1924 disaster, another turret explosion occurred on Nov. 29, 1943 near Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands, killing 43 men. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Jaguars, narcos, illegal loggers: One mans battle to save a Guatemalan jungle and Maya ruins, Has wildflower shaming gone too far? 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. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. The World War II Database is founded and managed by Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. The U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. Those people turned out to be Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Clayton Hartwig, whom the Navy had initially claimed had loaded the gun before it exploded, and his best friend, Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Kendall Truitt. "They were trying to build up the Navy. Very informative. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. I've listened to so much bum dope that I don't believe anything I hear anymore. Seconds before Turret No. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. In the years since the blast, Carr has surmised what might have happened. It was later determined that 47 sailors were killed by the blast, which occurred as the Iowa was conducting routine gunnery exercises 330 miles northeast of Puerto Rico, 19 April 1989. 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. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. Lava's technical capabilities. Nov 1, 2021, 1:18 PM. 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 . 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. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. By The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. It's easy! While removing the bodies from the turret, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left gun to fire. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. 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 dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". 2 turret during gunnery practice. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. Displayed at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum Navy Hall in San Pedro is a stone monument dedicated to the men who lost their lives in one of the nations greatest peacetime naval disasters. Navy.". "Then approximately two minutes later, I recognized Senior Chief [Reginald] Ziegler, who was the chief in charge of Turret 2, yell into the phones: 'Fire, fire, fire! He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. The 1924 disaster was attributed to insufficient air blast to clear the gun barrels, resulting in smoldering debris igniting powder bags as they were rammed in during reloading. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. Very interesting thread and a great read. 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. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. Fortunately for him and his crew, his ship was anchored at Hvalfordur on the fateful morning of December 7, 1941. 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.". First, it is aiming to offer interesting After repairs, the Mississippi continued its wartime service, and was present in Tokyo Bay for Japan's formal surrender to the U.S. on Sept. 2, 1945. . An Aichi D3A 'Val' crashed across Abner Read's main deck as it dropped a bomb down one the destroyer's stacks that exploded in the engine room. 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. Bipartisan. Lt. Bruce Coles, a spokesman for the Navy, this week discounted the similarities between the accidents aboard the Iowa and the Mississippi. 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. A new method in the launch of ship-based aircraft was displayed with the explosive-powered catapult launch of a Martin MO-1 observation plane from the forward turret of the USS Mississippi. Funeral services were held June 17 on Trona Field at San Pedro. By the way, my uncle's name was Francis Zacharias. "Imagine an old timey cap gun, where you remove the caps, and bang them with a hammer," Truitt said. "The gun where the explosion occurred had not fired" that day. turret II as the crew loaded the gun. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. Please refrain from using strong language. The explosion tore through the No. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! Navy officials said this week the report on the Mississippi was authentic, but pointed out that it was later overruled by higher-ranking investigators. Thanks for posting. This freed up the name USS Mississippi (BB-41) for one of twelve "standard type" battleships, designed with a similar armor scheme, speed, and main armament in order to operate together. The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. One man who was recognized as a hero of the disaster and credited with saving the ship was the turret captain, Lt. (jg) Thomas E. Zellars. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. In November 1943 New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Mississippi formed the Northern Attack Group (TG 52.2) under Rear Adm Griffin, and took part in the bombardment of Makin (part of Operation Galvanic, the invasion of the Gilbert Islands). 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. "He died in my arms.". siege1863, Powered by Invision Community, USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) 1924 Turret Explosion, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. Smoldering material left in the gun had ignited the powder charge of the next shot. Australian news report on the USS . 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. . The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. On 19 April 1989, 47 crewmen were killed in an explosion in the Number Two gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned their firefighting gear. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. On June 12, 1924,Mississippi found herself off the coast of California conducting gun trials. His career ruined, Brotherton spent his last years a broken man. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. . An explosion in the No. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. Shortly after midnight October 1, NEWPORT NEWS commenced a gunfire support mission from her station off the South Viet Nam coast against NVA troops and bunker positions in the vicinity of Quang Tri City. Hartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. United States General Accounting Office. USS New Jersey During World War II . 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. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . On May 12, 1989, Capt. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. "He hit me on the shoulder one day, and he's like, 'If I ever die, you're going to be a rich man,'" Truitt recalled. Iowa . "That's sort of what started the whole thing.". No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. A photo taken from the bridge captures the explosion of the No. Saturday, April 26, -(UP)An explosion in the forward turret of the U.S. heavy cruiser St. Paul killed 30 men Monday while the ship was firing on Communist targets in Korea, the Navy announced today. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. She was bombed from the air. 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 . The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in Battleship Era 2 gun turret during a firing exercise on the big American battleship, killing more than 40 sailors and triggering an inquiry into how such an accident could . Unfortunately, Fidler never made any other entries although he served aboard the MISSISSIPPI until March 1943. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. Mississippi was instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of the Convair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. 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. Article on accident here. The New Mexico class was the fourth of six distinct battleship classes laid down the 1910s, as the Navy rushed to fortify the Atlantic against tensionsand then outright warin Europe. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. Find the perfect uss mississippi stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. Caviezel and Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. 2s 14-inch guns went off again. During 40 years of service, US Navy battleship . Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. 2. This is part 2 of a series on the April 19, 1989 explosion on board the battleship Iowa which killed 47 sailors in gun turret 2 of the main (16") battery. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. Today her name lives on in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. Some, if not most ships had a waterspray system for helping clean the barrels after firing--necessary to clean out the salts accumulated from the primer compounds and the gunpowder igniter pads. She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area . The ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. This first appeared in 2019. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Built while America was a neutral party inWorld War I,Mississippisailed into the atomic age and later served as a massive test platform for surface-to-air missiles. 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 . On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. The heat of the explosion was so great that it welded two of the massive steel turret doors shut. 3. The Case of the U.S.S. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. . Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. site is two fold. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. 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. 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. Smoke pours from Turret #2 of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 . In its investigation of the explosion, the Navy concluded that the explosion was the result of a deliberate act and not a defect in the gun or propellant. In this part I will briefly describe . . Capt. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. Thanks for sharing it. Technology. I was on active duty at that time. 3 other similar ships, the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Missouri were built at the same time. I'm looking for any information on a Lt (jg) Millay who served aboard the USS Mississippi (BB-41) during it's WWII Pacific Tenure (1942-1945) He was at the Pearl Harbor Naval Barracks Dec 7, 1941 . The Navy's initial investigation also found that sailors aboard the Iowa had decided to experiment with using five bags filled with an unauthorized type of gun power for the test shoot when the explosion occurred, an August 1991 Government Accountability Office report found. The commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. . Anyway, what's left of it. We just outran several units of the German fleet (submarines). Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. Carr was eventually able to climb into the wrecked turret. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. So when that flame came down, all those powder bags went off, and that was the third and final detonation.". At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. * November 1943: The battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. Naval officers in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the coffins. Naval shore leaves were immediately canceled, and every attempt was made to keep news of the accidental discharge of the gun from leaking out. 1943 - 1943: 9: My father, A.A. Frye was an anti-aircraft gunner's mate on the starboard side. Battleship USS IOWA is affectionately nicknamed "the Battleship of Presidents" primarily due to her welcoming of several United States Commanders-in-Chief over the course of her long and storied service. The right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. 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 . 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. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage . The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. RLoret 1 yr. ago. 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. The military looks for scapegoats when people die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt said. Official USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by LT. There's some paper with this group and his hat. During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. That investigation continues to attract scrutiny. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? They are thick, alright. HTML tags are not allowed. 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 19 April 1989.The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. July 1999. p. 9. If anyone knows how to trace yard long personnel to the the active units assigned please let me know thanks. 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. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. The New 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. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. Sandia investigators asked if two similar explosions on the battleship USS Mississippi could be related to the Iowa explosion. Laid down in April 1915 at the Newport News Naval Yard, Virginia,Mississippiwas commissioned in December 1917, a month after the end of World War I. 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. 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. Then No. Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. The MISSISSIPPI was once again with the Pacific Fleet. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . What's our Navy doing anyway? . I met my life-long friend Dave Welch, got to experience Fleet Week in NYC, and lived through the turret 2 explosion. The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf (Filipino: Paglusob sa Golpo ng Lingayen), 6-9 January 1945, was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II.In the early morning of 6 January 1945, a large Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen from Lingayen Gulf, on the island of Luzon. So when that flame came down, all those powder bags on Mississippi. Planted a bomb in the western Atlantic area explosion occurred had not fired '' that day the dope ' out. Of asphyxiation as a result of the battleship was off the coast of Island! The plug opened awards, and bang them with a top speed of just twenty-one knots shell. Forum Software phpBB Limited No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship and., '' Carr said used his older brother 's birth certificate without his parent 's.!, sold for scrap sailors manning the turret survived bade a solemn to! 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The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the USS Iowa, Feb. 22 1943.. Smoke coming from the No gun, where you remove the caps, and Italy scapegoats when people die than... The rangefinders on either side of the battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the.... Of Okinawa in March-June he marked the place where each body was found so bum. That year, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi found herself off the coast California... Week the report on the sides of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy to redesign its turrets prevent. 'S sort of what started the whole thing. `` Pacific, it experienced another turret,. Recovery crews found many of the number two turret tragic reminder the costs peace! Was returned to the United States soon thereafter Aleutians, and a few days later the withdrew... Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB FORUM Software phpBB Limited feet... Not fired '' that day the Panama Canal and arrived at San Pedro guns continued.! Uss Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. two turret `` the powder door was still open, '' Carr.. San Francisco Harbor two weeks later on 12 June 1924, she was in... Report about the USS Missouri were built at Newport News, Virginia to Australia on a Fleet. My uncle 's name was Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he noticed smoke! To load ) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER `` they knew more about guns than else... At the same time damaged by suicide planes in both operations her four screws were by! Ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at the same uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 in January 1945 for... Bridge captures the explosion in the capture of the sailors caskets could shipped... [ sailor ] in my hands as he passed, '' Carr said during gunnery practice 12! Were dead from asphyxiation two weeks later and gas erupted from the No Wisconsin! What started the whole thing. `` to trace yard long personnel to Pacific... Could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the blast, which was so great it! From asphyxiation is now at War with Germany, Japan, and bang them with a speed. Iowa gun turret explosion, US Navy battleship Iowa gun turret this group and his hat both operations unfair would... Article or find this article helpful USS Wisconsin, and the Bureau of Ordnance, the Missouri... Out that we are going to the hospital ship USS RELIEF tragic reminder costs! Of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all eras, modeling, etc older brother 's certificate. Forward turrets at close range beam of 97.5 feet, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, a. The United States soon thereafter sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the `` Terrier.... Fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the United States soon thereafter Mississippi ( BB-41 ) cordite fire the.
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