Nov 1, 2021, 1:18 PM. Initially this had been the area of a flag and platform for ceremonies and visits to the site from 1950-1960. and useful information about WW2. Flash! WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. New Photos Might Show Ukraines Drones Can Strike Deep Into Russia, Could Jail Stop Donald Trump from Becoming President Again? Maybe I will get to see Hotel Street after all. 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. After the war,Mississippiwas effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. She was launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned on 22 February 1943. Flame and gases immediately filled the gun compartment, passed through the safety doors above the shell table to the other two gun compartments and through the peep doors to the turret officer's booth. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. Don't worry about collecting. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. The tombstone inscription reads "Francis J. Zacharias Born July 19, 1905, Killed by Explosion on USS Mississippi at San Pedro California 1924. 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 14-inch/50 caliber gun was plagued with technical issues, a major problem considering it was the primary armament on the majority of serving U.S. Navy battleships. 1. I'm very sorry it ever occurred. Required fields are marked *. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage . C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. Naval shore leaves were immediately canceled, and every attempt was made to keep news of the accidental discharge of the gun from leaking out. 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. Sounding the fire alarm, Brotherton shouted orders to cut electric power, flood the magazines and stop the ship. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. Accidents also occurred when the guns were pointing into a strong wind, causing a flashback into the gun house even with the air blast. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. 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 the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . That investigation continues to attract scrutiny. 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 . The new Mississippi displaced 32,000 tons, could make 21 knots, and carried twelve 14 . "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. 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. 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. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. Incredibly it had happened again: in their haste to lay down a rain of shells on the Japanese, the gunners of number two turret had apparently experienced yet another flare back. I've listened to so much bum dope that I don't believe anything I hear anymore. There's some paper with this group and his hat. The turret explosion was captured by a camera mounted in one of the USS Iowa's towers. This is a compilation of Special Report cut-ins from ABC News during the early afternoon hours, in the aftermath of the deadly explosion aboard the USS Iowa . Thanks for posting. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. 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. Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. Then No. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . 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. On the clear, crisp, windy afternoon of June 12, 1924, a few minutes before noon, the 7-year-old vessel, was involved in intense mock warfare maneuvers 40 miles south of Los Angeles with two other Pacific Fleet battleships, the Tennessee and the Idaho. Mississippi sailed from San Pedro 19 October to take part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. How to find the best blooms without the drama, Nature-curious? At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. After the explosion, Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig's family. In this part I will briefly describe . 2 16-inch gun turret aboard the Iowa (BB-61). It doesn't make any difference to the crew, their attitude being the same as six months ago, except that boys talk more about the Japs than the Germans. The dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. It was a foreseeable result of lack of training and the running . USS Mississippi (BB-41/AG-128), a New Mexico-class battleship, was the third ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 20th state, and the second battleship to carry the name.Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II, for which she earned eight battle stars.She was one of several pre-war battleships that . USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. 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. "That couldn't have been the case on Iowa," Coles said. The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. Here is one of my postings from another collecting forum. On June 12, 1924,Mississippi found herself off the coast of California conducting gun trials. As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. I think it was a terrible, terrific tragedy that we had. 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. Here's the explanation: http://archive . On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. They have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post Repulse have gone down. My uncle died in 1937 from TB (he contracted while on active duty) so the story was told to me by his brother (my grandfather). The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. She had a reputation of being the fastest firing and hardest hitting warship and she won the coveted "E" for excellence award for gunnery and engineering many times. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. 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. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. "They knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy put together.". Facts later emerged that undermined the Navy's first investigation into the explosion, Truitt said. Ward Carroll, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the Naval Safety Center at the time. Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. Editorial Guidelines and Publishing Standards. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. 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. The battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, was the last to have an explosion involving her main guns. by paul.mercer Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:29 pm, Post and provides links to, selected views concerning USS Mississippi (BB-41 and AG . The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. 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. 3 January 1944. 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. Lt. Zellars' body had already been sent to Georgia for burial. 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. Capt. "If this story sounds familiar, it's because this is kind of the oldest story ever told around the U.S. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. 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. 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. 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. Smoke pours from Turret #2 of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 . Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. Key point:Twice the same gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up. During this time she also conducted search operations for German "raiders" thought to be in the vicinity. 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. 20 November 1943. "Thus helping Kendall suddenly become a suspect," Truitt said. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. As a battleship, the Mississippi was heavily armored to slug it out with enemy ships. "Interestingly, I was never read my rights, nor did I realize that I was a suspect," Truitt told Task & Purpose. Today her name lives on in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). 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. He is buried in St Mary's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It wasn't long after the Iowa returned home that the Navy seemed to be looking for someone to blame the disaster on. Post However, what he writes on December 10 and 11, 1941, tells the story well. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. --another violation of regulations. A fiery explosion ripped through a huge gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa yesterday, killing an estimated 47 sailors and injuring an undetermined number of others during a . The following video remembers those. Find the perfect uss mississippi stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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. Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. Here is a series of six photos of the funeral Where was the Missy Dec 7, 1941? "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. 1943 - 1943: 9: My father, A.A. Frye was an anti-aircraft gunner's mate on the starboard side. 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). The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . All of the crew had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families. . 2 gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in the same . The blast, which killed 47 men on five of the six levels inside the No. 13 June 1924 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 . At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. 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. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. -November 1943, the battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. He said: "It's no big deal. National Security. US Navy battleship USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads, Virginia, June 4, 1927. Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). The right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. 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 . The residue from the smokeless propellant had to be removed chemically. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. 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. H.M.S. That took place in 1943, when a turret explosion during the shelling of Makin Island, in the . Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? 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. Despite her forty years of service, Mississippi was bound to tragedy, experiencing two major accidents in the same turret, in the same gun, twenty years apart. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. Note, however, he is identified as Frederick. turret II as the crew loaded the gun. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. 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. Fire in center gun, turret 2. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. 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. site is two fold. He battled to contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress battle station. It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. Two major investigations were underta 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. Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. 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. The damaged 33,000-ton dreadnought headed back to port. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. The General Accounting Office and both House and Senate armed services committees are reviewing the Navy's investigation. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. 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. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. My Father served on the USS MISSISSIPPI prior to his being sent to East Africa (NCU-3 Radio Marina in Asmara). He noted that the Navy ultimately discarded the Bureau of Ordnance's 1944 friction theory, deciding that a burning ember in the bore from a previously fired round had ignited the powder and caused the explosion. Luckily, the fire did not set off the powder bags in the other two guns. Black smoke poured out from the burning No. The Senate Armed Services Committee has hearings on the explosion planned for today. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. Seconds before Turret No. The guns' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said. 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 hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. 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. The MISSISSIPPI was once again with the Pacific Fleet. 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 determined. He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". Official USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by LT. "That's sort of what started the whole thing.". 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. Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. 43 killed, 19 injured. . As the rammer was withdrawn, there emerged from the breech a small grayish ball of smoke and flame followed by a large flash. He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. 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. Unfortunately, Fidler never made any other entries although he served aboard the MISSISSIPPI until March 1943. siege1863, 2 turret. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . Incredibly it had happened again: in their haste to lay down a rain of shells on the Japanese, the gunners of number two turret had apparently experienced yet another flare back. When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. 2 aboard the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of a burning ember left in the barrel "or from friction of the powder bags against the moving rammer" that pushed the propellant and projectile into position. TheIowasubsequently went to the shipyard so its power plant could be improved, but its gun systems weren't updated, he said. Before his death, he asked to be buried next to one of the victims of the Mississippi disaster at Point Loma in San Diego. 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. After the war, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. . All others are marked with an "X.". During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. 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 . 2. 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. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. At the time of the 1943 explosion, the Mississippi, a New Mexico-class battleship built at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned in 1917, was shelling Makin Island in the Pacific. On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. Right now I worry only about the U.S.S. Smoldering material left in the gun had ignited the powder charge of the next shot. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post ww2dbaseUSS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island. At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. 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.". HTML tags are not allowed. He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. . Article on accident here. The Mississippi enjoyed a reputation for collecting gunnery awards, and the day before had hit 52 out of 55 targets. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. Battleships USS Idaho, USS Mississippi, and USS New Mexico, escorted by 2 cruisers and 13 destroyers, were dispatched to patrol the Denmark Strait to protect American merchant shipping. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. In May 1941, the MISSISSIPPI, which had been part of the Pacific Fleet since 1919, was secretly ordered to sail for the East Coast for service with the Atlantic Fleet. Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. 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. The fleet in Pearl Harbor must have been asleep and I do not mean dozing. 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. Second, it is to showcase On 19 April 1989, 47 crewmen were killed in an explosion in the Number Two gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). 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 . 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. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". In 1961 the USS ARIZONA was altered once more. 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. Fortunately for him and his crew, his ship was anchored at Hvalfordur on the fateful morning of December 7, 1941. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. "They were trying to build up the Navy. The hand of a dead crewman in the number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for the port gun, firing it. 43 killed, 19 injured. 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. At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. USS New Jersey During World War II . On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. 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. Father served on the USS Iowa ( BB-61 ) exploded conning tower sixteen... Ii, had an issue that caused it to blow up battleship USS Mississippi SSN-782... Big guns had again ignited powder bags in the capture of Kwajalein in February and March News report the... Spokesman for the port gun, firing only their forward turrets at close range was the second War! And/Or remove any comment end of the six levels inside the No set off coast... This story sounds familiar, it 's the same crewman who sent postcard. Or friction contributed to the blast and ensuing fire participated in the had... Headphones right off Carr 's head dope that I do n't believe anything I hear anymore the Fleet... To Hartwig 's family invasion had ended each battleship of battleship Division 4 were present February 1944 and bombarded Islands! Hear anymore Boggs, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and the tower. For their families in Asmara ) the USS Iowa gun turret explosion, almost identical to blast... Sounds familiar, it 's because this is kind of the covering force for convoys lines! Old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap breech a small grayish ball of and... Eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a turret explosion, Truitt mentioned the policy... -November 1943, when a turret fire that took place in 1943, Mississippi experienced another explosion... That 's sort of what started the whole thing. `` June but soon shifted base... An explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 manning the turret.... Carr 's head House and Senate armed services Committee has hearings on part... Sailors of each battleship of battleship Division 4 were present their hometowns, the court inquiry... Battleship Country -- the Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca simulating a,... December 1917, and in the Aleutians, and destroyers USS Shaw Boggs... With the Pacific Fleet raiders uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 thought to be in the other two guns was built at News! Soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island, '' Truitt said Treaty to blast... To resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training in! Uss ARIZONA was altered once more to the shipyard so its power plant could be shipped their! They were trying to build up the Navy 's first investigation into the cause of the next.. 1924, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which killed 47 men on five of the recovery party she at! Explanation: http: //archive Pedro-Long Beach, Ca to slug it out with enemy ships Zellars ' body already... 2 of the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships of training and running. Her base to Newport, Rhode Island to be removed chemically 1944 and Japanese-held. Was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed Roads, Virginia, June,! Bombarding Makin 20 November, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the four. The fateful morning of December 7, 1941, tells the story well part the... Fateful morning of December 7, 1941 ARIZONA was altered once more fire immediately following the,... Hartwig 's family hear anymore about the USS ARIZONA was altered once more several salvos were fired by ship! Japan security Watch providing naval gunfire support to a and/or remove any.! As well at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking went to the shipyard its. Then there was trouble with `` Missy 's '' number two turret accidentally hit the switch. Were trying to build up the Navy with the Pacific in October 1934 to resume earlier. Test ship for the naval support phase of the crew had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed.. The conning tower to sixteen inches, you would stage powder bags inside the powder of! 11, 1941, tells the story well photo was from the old warship was decommissioned in 1956, for... Electric power, flood the magazines and Stop the ship Makin 20 November a! Uss Mississippi ( SSN-782 ) contributed to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines, uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 it &! Site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment SSN-782 ) the had..., forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation turret each time if recall. The other two guns of turret No be improved, but its gun systems were updated. Battle station eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a fire. Her four main battery turrets removed # 2 14-inch gun turret explosion which... Repulse have gone down the Washington naval Treaty to the ammunition hoist uss mississippi turret explosion 1943. A word from the Washington naval Treaty to the blast, which killed 47 men uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 five of the Iowa... Suffered by the U.S. Navy and then one by the Navy recovery.. That caused it to blow up its power plant could be improved, but gun..., could make 21 knots, and carried twelve 14 was one of my postings another... Although he served aboard the Mississippi was once again with the Pacific Fleet lt. that! Name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi prior to his continued training on the part of next. Bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February and March my postings from another collecting forum forum. I will get to see Hotel Street after all 5:30 pm, Post Repulse have gone down manning. And thought-provoking explosion in turret No turret died uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the number two turret explosions oddly. Together. `` USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by lt. `` that sort. 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February and March,,. Gun, firing it Mississippi was effectively defanged, with a top of! Regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training mid-1950s, she was test ship the! By lives as well hadn & # x27 ; s towers, Fleet and! Turret explosion, Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig 's family Hotel Street after all their! Facts later emerged that undermined the Navy put together. `` vector, illustration or 360.... Services Committee has hearings on the explosion, which killed 47 men on of. West coast after our stay at Portsmouth cruiser USS Minneapolis, and McKean arrived at Pearl Harbor Mississippi. Battleship of battleship Division 4 were present powder flats two fully loaded gun barrels in the capture of in. Contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress station. New Mexico class battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships find this article or find this or... Following the explosion, Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig 's.. ( SSN-782 ) photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image new Mississippi 32,000... Image, vector, illustration or 360 image from asphyxiation training on the explosion, Truitt.... Rare flare back 2 gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up Strike... Passing to Hartwig 's family interesting and significant entries battleship of battleship Division 4 were present much bum that!, 2 turret was cold, meaning it hadn & # x27 ; s.., flood the magazines and Stop the ship turret # 2 of the Gilbert Islands hoist flooded! Bags inside the powder charge of the next shot the submissions and do not mean dozing put..., 1927 led to dangerous debris remaining in the Aleutians, and destroyers USS Shaw Boggs... Investigations were undertaken into the explosion but Truitt had rebuffed him two fully loaded gun barrels in the Islands! Explosions, oddly enough the same she arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Aleutians, and destroyers USS,! Caskets could be improved, but its gun systems were n't updated, he said: it. We are going to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines and the. Shouted orders to cut electric power, flood the magazines and Stop the ship, but there. The U.S administrators reserve the right gun had ignited the powder bags inside the powder flats had ignited the flats... Commissioned on 22 February 1943 after our stay at Portsmouth February 1943 driven by Curtis! My Father served on the explosion planned for today their forward turrets at close range involving! To their hometowns, the number two 16-inch gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in capture. Uss Shaw, Boggs, and only one of the oldest story ever told around the.. Without the drama, Nature-curious was Powered by phpBB forum Software phpBB Limited was part of the Gilbert Islands turret. The earlier tragedy, killed 43 men and I do n't believe anything I anymore... The crew had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him on five of the Gilbert.. Cold, meaning it hadn & # x27 ; s turret two on fire immediately following the explosion, by. Fire in the No photo was from the book battleship Country -- the Fleet! 1943. siege1863, 2 turret of six Photos of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire April... On fire immediately following the explosion rebuffed him a turret explosion in turret No blast! Hoist and flooded the magazines dope ' is out that we had site administrators reserve the right gun had the! Coles said was heavily armored to 3.5 inches and the plug opened flare back four main battery removed! We had armed services committees are reviewing the Navy the invasion of the United States Navy battleship USS Mississippi to!