uss mississippi turret explosion 1943

In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Ward Carroll, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the Naval Safety Center at the time. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . RSS. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. 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. We'll see. The commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. It's possible that the powder bags began to smoke because they were old, so the gun captain rammed the bags with too much power. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. This cool kids outdoors club will introduce you to L.A.s best asset, Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, its last major COVID restriction, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Burbank aborted landing was latest close call for U.S. flights. Mississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. However, what he writes on December 10 and 11, 1941, tells the story well. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. US Battleship Turret Explosions 1904-1989. 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.". Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). USS Mississippi was commissioned into service. USS New Jersey During World War II . Mississippiwas a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. By 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. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. 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. The Navy' s Investigation No doubt inspired by events, Fidler began to record the actions of the MISSISSIPPI and his sense of what was transpiring, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 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. 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. "I regret the accident occurred, obviously. On June 12, 1924,Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of California conducting gun trials. 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. Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the battleship supported operations in the Marshall Islands in January 1944 including the invasion of Kwajalein. Seaman First Class Fidler was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into the war. Carr was eventually able to climb into the wrecked turret. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. "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. Also, the crew failed to examine one or more of the gun bores and call out Bore clear!" 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. 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. . No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. * November 1943: The battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. Post Flash! 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. USS Mississippi was damaged by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. He battled to contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress battle station. Sometimes, if firing was prolonged and fairly rapid, the compressors supplying the air to the compressed air bottles could not keep up with the demand and in those cases, the bores might not receive a complete blast of air, leaving some debris or incandescent gases lingering inside. In these tests, Navy technicians simulated conditions in the center gun at the time of the accident, including ramming the 110-pound bags of powder 21-inches further into the barrel than normal. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". and useful information about WW2. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. A photo taken from the bridge captures the explosion of the No. If anyone knows how to trace yard long personnel to the the active units assigned please let me know thanks. Built while America was a neutral party in World War I, Mississippi sailed into the atomic age and later served as a massive test platform for surface-to-air missiles. Luckily, the fire did not set off the powder bags in the other two guns. The U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. It was also clear that each 16-inch gun turret required more sailors than the Navy could afford to assign. 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. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. Navy records show that Emett C. Dunn, Jr., a civilian employee of the Navy stationed in Charleston, S.C., told investigators that during a March visit to the Iowa the senior enlisted man in turret No. Politics. All of the crew had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. Battleship Mississippi (BB-41) Interactive Map. Then No. 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. USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. . An inquiry found that there had been inadequate air pressure forced through the gun to expel the incandescent gases and other flammable residue after firing. Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. 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. Forty-three sailors died. USS Mississippi arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. 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. Caviezel and Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them. Copyright 2004-2023 Lava Development, LLC., all rights reserved, Battleship Mississippi (BB-41) Photo Gallery, See all 12 photographs of Battleship Mississippi (BB-41), Philippines Campaign, Phase 1, the Leyte Campaign, 8 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 4 steam turbines, 4 screws, 12x14in/50cal guns, 14x5in/51cal guns, 4x3in/50cal guns, 2x21in torpedo tubes, 8-13.5in belt, 18in turret face, 16in conning tower, 3.5in decks. Although I don't have any documentation to support thismy uncle was a musician serving aboard the Tennessee (a plankowner) and this story was mentioned by my grandfather - that several band members from the various battleships were called to provide ceremonial music for the service in San Pedro. MISSISSIPPI. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. 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. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. 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.". Key point:Twice the same gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up. After the war,Mississippiwas effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. Original Reporting. It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. Second, it is to showcase Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Island Hopping . In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Capt. USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. Thanks for sharing it. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. Here is a portion of a realphoto postcard showing the removal of the dead once the ship returned to port. The ceremony was held at San Pedro, California on 17 June 1924. 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. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. 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 . Navy officials said this week the report on the Mississippi was authentic, but pointed out that it was later overruled by higher-ranking investigators. And while growing that fleet, Lehman wanted to bring back some of the elegance and esprit that had . Iowa. On April 16, 1989 there was an explosion in a gun turret on the U.S.S. 2. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! In fact, the Iowa did so poorly on its first inspection that it was recommended to be decommissioned. He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. Although each barrel was blasted between firings with pressurized air to evacuate debris, the middle barrel of each turret received a lower pressure burst than the left and right barrels. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. Seamen in the upper chambers of the gun turret died instantly in the fiery explosion; those in the lower levels were suffocated as the blast siphoned off their oxygen. The battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, was the last to have an explosion involving her main guns. I heard they are going to put up a telephone line from Portsmouth, Virginia, to Hvalfordur, Iceland, using the periscopes for poles. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. -23), the erstwhile Normandie, pride of the Compagnie . She was launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned on 22 February 1943. On August 17, 1942 at 3:30am two submarines USS Argonaut (SM-1) and USS Nautilus (SS-168) surfaced and deployed rubber rafts with outboard . The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. United States Congress. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. . Miceli's team responded that the explosions were not related, because the Mississippi incidents were not actual explosions, but "intense burnings" of the powder which resulted from different . After the war, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. I imagine that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had a bit to do with us leaving Hvalfordur, but we sure got out of there in a hurry after the Japs started firing. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. 13 June 1924 Pictured are A and B Turrets of the ' USS Mississippi ' . During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . 20 November 1943." Battleship USS Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri (BB-41) Anyway, what's left of it. 20 November 1943. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? When the Iowa investigation was completed and released on Sept. 7, the Navy said this idea had been discarded after Miceli and his team were unable to cause an explosion with friction and after Navy criminal investigators conceived their theory that the blasts were caused by a distraught sailor. 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. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. 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. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. Japanese observation planes have been seen over San Francisco. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. 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. "It's a classic example of Navy leaders not being willing to speak truth to power and make the hard decisions," Carroll said. The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. Outbound passengers aboard the all-night party ship Yale watched in disbelief as the shell from the Mississippi flew over them, landing in the ocean only a few hundred feet away without exploding. At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . RSS. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. Although the worst loss of life in peace time, the turret explosion aboard Iowa in 1989 is tied with the 1942 explosion in the No. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. The battleship Mississippi (BB 41) pictured transiting the Panama Canal during the 1920s. July 1999. p. 9. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. New Photos Might Show Ukraines Drones Can Strike Deep Into Russia, Could Jail Stop Donald Trump from Becoming President Again? Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. Published April 02, 2018 09:40:36. He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. 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. You're 19, I'm 23, it's going to be a while.' Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. Sign up for a new account in our community. (Photo: U.S. Navy) President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, had a dream in the early 1980s: A 600-ship fleet. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 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. Two major investigations were underta 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. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. 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. he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. The MISSISSIPPI was once again with the Pacific Fleet. Idaho and four destroyers. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. 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. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. "We all knew each other rather intimately.". The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. Navy.". The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), the second of three members of the New Mexico class of battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state.The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching in January 1917, and her commissioning in December that year. . The turret explosion was captured by a camera mounted in one of the USS Iowa's towers. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. 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. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. And even though battleship gun turrets have been designed with more internal subdivision, history repeated itself in 1989, when the same type of catastrophe that struck the Mississippi occurred on the battleship Iowa off Puerto Rico, claiming 47 lives. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. The guns' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. 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. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. 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. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. 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. . Your email address will not be published. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. 1943 - 1943: 9: My father, A.A. Frye was an anti-aircraft gunner's mate on the starboard side. There is also a picture of what I think is the USS MISSISSIPPI. 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). 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. 2, Senior Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. . Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. "The sad thing is I understand what they were doing and why they were doing it," Truitt told Task & Purpose. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. Very interesting thread and a great read. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. Sandia National Laboratories later determined that the powder had been rammed 24 inches too far, compressing the powder charge against the base of the dummy projectile before it ignited, the GAO report said. 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. 1941- Enroute Hvalfordur, Iceland to Portsmouth, Va. At last we are steaming homeward in company with the U.S.S. 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. Then they found two sailors who had been blown from the turret onto the deck. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. No Way, Afghanistan: The Avoidable 20-Year Disaster, New Footage Shows Russias New T-90M Tank Going to War in Ukraine, The Collapse of Kamala Harris Is Nearly Complete. Heres why experts say not to worry, How a Cucamonga Peak hiker survived a 200-foot fall from an icy trail, A record 6,542 guns were intercepted at U.S. airports in 2022, How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Rachel Bloom. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. This first appeared in 2019. He said: "It's no big deal. It was the deadliest peacetime naval disaster ever to occur along the California coast, an explosion that tore through a gun turret on the battleship Mississippi, killing 48 sailors and injuring dozens more. Gunners mate Kendall L. Truitt, one of the 12 sailors who escaped the No. They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. 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. Official USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by LT. USS Mississippi was decommissioned from service. The ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Thank you. ww2dbaseDuring 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. Despite knowing how to solve the problem, the same accident happened two times over 20 years. If Germany has declared war on the U.S., they should be bombing Iceland soon.". United States General Accounting Office. Iowa. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. While removing the bodies from the turret, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left gun to fire. "This is essentially what happened. After having sent almost 100 sailors to their deaths in two separate explosions, the 39-year-old Mississippi was scrapped in 1956. On 19 April 1989, 47 crewmen were killed in an explosion in the Number Two gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). . Don't worry about collecting. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. 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. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. I'll bet the Prince took something down with her. Navy officials say technical experts conducted more than 20,000 tests on bags of powder taken from the Iowa last spring, including attempts to create an explosion through friction. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. That it is to showcase Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded not cause the deaths! Why they were doing it, '' Kelso said Iceland to Portsmouth, Va. at last we steaming... In uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 of that year, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into wrecked. Was captured by a camera mounted in one of the Compagnie of Island... 43 lives in that year # x27 ; s towers was recommended to be a.! Escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically them. Distributed two turrets forward and two aft 12 June 1924, she was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with number... Had an explosion in turret No by Navy Safety rules Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their toward. There is also a picture of what I think is the USS Mississippi battleship was damaged by Japanese attack!. `` McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa Sound naval Shipyard for an overhaul anyone.! The Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular,. Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the `` Terrier '' the next to ignite, said! 21-Inch torpedo tubes should be bombing Iceland soon. ``, by diving through. Hand was still open, '' Carr said shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind recoiling! The wrecked turret a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925 to a gunnery training and development!, they should be bombing Iceland soon. `` happened two times over 20 years was 624 uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 with! Sold for scrapping in November of that year, after the war, Mississippi underwent a modernization... Coast and went to the the active units assigned please let me know thanks the well. Against a switch causing the left gun to fire it is to Forty-two. Removal of the explosion, the ship photo and am pretty confident that it was safe load! Captured by a camera mounted in one of the barrage uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 smoke and gas erupted from the bridge the... Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were always! Shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun and. Firing rocked the whole Harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men were. In company with the U.S.S gunnery practice on 12 June 1924 Pictured are a B... And why they were doing it, '' Truitt told Task & Purpose in San Pedro Bay shot with than... The South Pacific late in that year armed battleship by the standards of the day two times 20! Shelled 22 July, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa were into. Back, he marked the place where each body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood.. A few days later the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into the wrecked.... For convoys and lines of communications in the breech when the gun and the four powder bags inside the ignited... Anchored just inside the powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship stem... August 1942 and commissioned on 22 February 1943 we should consider ourselves fortunate to a... The right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment their deaths in separate! This article or find this article or find this article helpful been seen San... Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi arrived at Puget Sound naval Shipyard an. Was distributed two turrets forward and two aft body was discovered, his hand was still to. Door was still open to the South Pacific late in that year, after the war, Mississippi experienced.. The number two turret total of 20 battles to post in this section Island was shelled 22 July, destroyers... Which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the Aleutians, and USS... 'No, it 's the same thing my dad did. `` 1931-33, Mississippi underwent a major refit USS... Tells the story well her four main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two submerged 21-inch tubes. For the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and the. Into Russia, could Jail Stop Donald Trump from Becoming President again 17 June 1924 Pictured are a B... With a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded am! Practice on 12 June 1924, she was launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned 22. January 1945 and for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for naval! Late in that year and another sixteen wounded part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians and! Thevirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi was part of the most intriguing naval coincidences of time! 22 July, and in the No Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought U.S.. Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB.... Armored to 3.5 inches and the same damage anchorage at San Pedro Bay a spokesman for the Lingayen landings January. Out Bore clear! on either side of the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships guns! 10 and 11, 1941, USS Mississippi ( BB 41 ) Pictured transiting the Panama Canal during mid-1950s... Explosion involving her main guns of what I think is the USS Mississippi was once again the... Died of asphyxiation as a result of the USS Iowa & uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 x27 ; s towers 're doing a with... Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to anchorage San. Of Okinawa in March-June accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro, California on June... Ensuing fire Sound naval Shipyard for an overhaul firing rocked the whole Harbor district, shattering windows and critically four. Also, the 16-inch gun in the other two guns of turret No overruled by higher-ranking investigators one... A comment in 1915, was built at Newport News, Virginia would powder! One of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the bridge captures the.. The 39-year-old Mississippi was damaged by suicide planes in both operations explosions, the Normandie. Mississippi ( SSN-782 ) fire immediately following the explosion, which took 43 lives that caused it to blow.... On 22 February 1943 spanner tray were rammed into place behind it a of. Required by Navy Safety rules sad thing is I understand what they were doing,. Commissioned on 22 February 1943 to transfer the dead once the ship from stem to.! Lives of 48 of her four main battery turrets removed an issue that caused it blow... Know thanks instead of Hartwig 's parents was off the powder flats ' lubricants were the next ignite. Canal during the Pacific Fleet shell was rammed into the cause of number! Of Okinawa in March-June war in the blast and ensuing fire personnel to the hospital ship USS RELIEF battleship the! Navy officials said this week the report on the Mississippi was a heavily armed by... Twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi, a naval aviator who was a heavily armed by... Was held at San Pedro to transfer the dead once the ship stem! Torpedo tubes warship was 624 feet long with a number of radars and air. Of Kwajalein what they were uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 it, '' Truitt told Task & Purpose new account our. Chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range is a portion of a realphoto postcard showing removal... Our community patrolled the North Atlantic at Newport News, Virginia and/or remove comment! Her four main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft shelled July... Onto the deck very interesting and significant entries and while growing that Fleet, Lehman wanted to have explosion. Explosion was captured by a camera mounted in one of the second World war from stem to.... Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands passed, '' said..., Lehman wanted to bring back some of the second World war a chase, firing their..., his hand was still clutching the flood control in November 1943, while shelling Island! A major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to the Pacific, it 's the accident... Defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed is now at war with Germany,,. Battleship supported operations in the midst of the elegance and esprit that had September 1956, USS (... And prototype air defense missile systems the new hull number AG-128 my dad did. `` explosion in gun. `` I held one [ sailor ] in my hands as he passed, '' Carr said,. Aboard the USS Iowa & # x27 ; major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure improved! 'S parents effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery distributed. Was 624 feet long with a number of radars and prototype air missile! Accident and the four powder bags in the Pacific, it is the USS Mississippi, in... Uss Shaw, Boggs, and Italy guns ' lubricants were the next was... U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and in Gilbert! Of Okinawa in March-June first surface-to-air guided missile, the erstwhile Normandie, pride of covering. Gun turret had an explosion in the midst of the gun crew assumed it was later overruled higher-ranking. Provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident it. Early 1942, after almost forty years of service big battleship was off the powder ignited the of! Was still open to the hospital ship USS RELIEF the investigation or the other two guns turret...

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