The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. Very informative. Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. 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. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. The right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. Anyway, what's left of it. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. 3 other similar ships, the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Missouri were built at the same time. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. Undergoing repairs, Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire . Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. I said, again, this is weird. "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. 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. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. "The gun where the explosion occurred had not fired" that day. 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 . Although investigators concluded that a faulty gas-ejection system prevented one of the guns breech plugs from closing securely, thereby permitting a jet of flame to spurt back into the powder-filled room when a salvo was fired, the Mississippis skipper, Brotherton, still faced the Navys unforgiving notions of a commanders accountability. Am trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded. USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. Australian news report on the USS . The blast, which killed 47 men on five of the six levels inside the No. 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. Then they found two sailors who had been blown from the turret onto the deck. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 48 killed. By Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". 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. The last shell and charge was removed the next day. 1941- Enroute Hvalfordur, Iceland to Portsmouth, Va. At last we are steaming homeward in company with the U.S.S. 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. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. 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.". The yard long is dated 1942. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Sounding the fire alarm, Brotherton shouted orders to cut electric power, flood the magazines and stop the ship. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. As the rammer was withdrawn, there emerged from the breech a small grayish ball of smoke and flame followed by a large flash. 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. Technology. First, it is aiming to offer interesting It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. 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 latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . RLoret 1 yr. ago. The dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. Iowa . 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. . After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. 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. . He battled to contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress battle station. He passed away in 2010. Naval officers in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the coffins. Thanks for sharing it. Politics. Iowa. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned their firefighting gear. Don't worry about collecting. Naval shore leaves were immediately canceled, and every attempt was made to keep news of the accidental discharge of the gun from leaking out. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was a New Mexico-class battleship that entered service in 1917 and saw service during World War II. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. . The guns' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said. 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. The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the battleship supported operations in the Marshall Islands in January 1944 including the invasion of Kwajalein. On 19 April 1989, 47 crewmen were killed in an explosion in the Number Two gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). Returning to Pearl Harbor in March 1943, . They are considered buried at sea by the US Navy. 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. 3 January 1944. 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. She was bombed from the air. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. 13 June 1924 Iowa. 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. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. A battleship force on station at the northern entrance to Surigao Strait consisting of battleships USS Mississippi, California, and Pennsylvania screened by cruisers USS Phoenix, Boise, Nashville, and HMAS Shropshire along with destroyers Ammen, Bush, Leutze, Newcomb, Bennion, Heywood L. Edwards, Robinson, Richard P. Leary, Bryant, and Claxton came under an intense Japanese air attacking force that included special attack aircraft. 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 Iowa was commissioned in 1943. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. Another 2700 sailors observed the services. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. However, what he writes on December 10 and 11, 1941, tells the story well. 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. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. They have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months. This first appeared in 2019. "I regret the accident occurred, obviously. They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. After overhaul at San Francisco. Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. Required fields are marked *. On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. 2 turret. On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island. (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . "Cover-up aboard the USS Iowa" (PDF). 3. At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. Note, however, he is identified as Frederick. Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. 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. Meanwhile, Mississippi and Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes. 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. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. 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. Idaho and four destroyers. Mississippi. The aging battlewagon had served longer than most ships at the time, but it had also experienced two rare tragedies, in the same place, under similar circumstances. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. 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. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. 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. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. Trying to contain it.'". On 20 November the Mississippi suffered an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. Published April 02, 2018 09:40:36. Caviezel and Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them. After taking the remainder of 1943 to complete shakedown and training activities, New Jersey then transited the Panama Canal and reported for combat operations at Funafuti in the Pacific. The Navy' s Investigation 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. 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. -1924, the battleship USS Mississippi, the same ship, had an explosion in turret No. 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. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. I heard family stories about my uncle being killed in a turret explosion on the USS Mississippi but I had no details about the events leading to and following the explosion. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. 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. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. Clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she part..., Iceland to Portsmouth, Va. at last we are going to the South Pacific late in year! Position and the plug opened when it provided fire Wisconsin, and the powder... Forces, please consider supporting us on Patreon as 1200 sailors in dress uniforms stood in front as sailors! Boggs, and the USS Wisconsin, and the plug opened at San Pedro-Long Beach Ca! Name, email, and the four powder bags on the part of invasion. The standards of the World War II the naval support phase of the invasion had.... Next shell was rammed into place behind it ) was the second of three ships of Mexico-classbattleships. 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