During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . As the stricken battleship glided into a San Pedro berth, Rear Adm. William V. Pratt boarded the ship and the hospital ship Relief pulled alongside. -23), the erstwhile Normandie, pride of the Compagnie . 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. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? Technology. 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. They are thick, alright. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. Flash! 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. Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. 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. 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. The scene inside was too terrible to describe. His career ruined, Brotherton spent his last years a broken man. USS Mississippi was commissioned into service. 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 . 138 killed and 60 injured. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). The ceremony was held at San Pedro, California on 17 June 1924. But when investigators learned that Hartwig had named Truitt the beneficiary of a $100,000 life insurance policy, they claimed thatHartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. The MISSISSIPPI and her sister ships of Battleship Division Three represented most of the remaining battleship strength in the U.S. Navy. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. "He died in my arms.". At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. 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. Thanks for sharing it. 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. Seaman First Class Fidler was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into the war. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. . Trying to contain it.'". The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. RLoret 1 yr. ago. Available for both RF and RM licensing. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". The accident has been a major influence on my life. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. On 19 April 1989, 47 crewmen were killed in an explosion in the Number Two gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . Naval shore leaves were immediately canceled, and every attempt was made to keep news of the accidental discharge of the gun from leaking out. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. 13 June 1924 "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. ww2dbaseIn early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. The investigation's findings, contained in a formerly classified document, said that the friction theory was still valid. The goal of this 1. 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. They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Then No. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. On April 19, 1989, the day of the blast, the ship was preparing for live-fire training at Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range. Mississippi. Saturday, April 26, -(UP)An explosion in the forward turret of the U.S. heavy cruiser St. Paul killed 30 men Monday while the ship was firing on Communist targets in Korea, the Navy announced today. See attached. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. Or had she been transferred to the Atlantic Fleet? 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. Another 2700 sailors observed the services. 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. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. 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. They have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months. -November 1943, the battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. 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. I'm very sorry it ever occurred. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. 1943 - 1943: 9: My father, A.A. Frye was an anti-aircraft gunner's mate on the starboard side. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. Published April 02, 2018 09:40:36. Ziegler told Dunn that "he used torn powder bags and merely scooped up the loose grains and threw them into the gun behind the bags, then closed the breach and fired," those records quote Dunn as telling Navy investigators. he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. The right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. The gunners on all three battlewagons were competing for a $20 prize that Congress had voted to award the fleets most proficient naval marksman. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. The military looks for scapegoats when people die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt said. Politics. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. Seconds before Turret No. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. 1920's (U.S. Navy photo) USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. The following video remembers those. Another sailor, Senior Master Chief Steven Skelly, told Milligan that "There has been account after account of all classes of battleship" where friction ignited ripped bags of powder as they were rammed into the gun. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. 2 gun turret during a firing exercise on the big American battleship, killing more than 40 sailors and triggering an inquiry into how such an accident could . Hartwig's father had seen combat in the Navy as a gunner's mate, Truitt said. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. 2 turret. 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. US Battleship Turret Explosions 1904-1989. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. 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. additional photos - based on the camo pattern I believe the photo is from 1944. Out of commission? The last shell and charge was removed the next day. On May 12, 1989, Capt. 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. In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. Gunners mate Kendall L. Truitt, one of the 12 sailors who escaped the No. She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area . by paul.mercer Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:12 am, Post ww2dbaseDuring 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while the Mississippi was anchored in San Pedro Bay. . Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. 2 turret of the battleship USS Mississippi in 1943 that killed 43 sailors was caused by a "flareback" when unexpelled gases from a previous round ignited powder bags. USS Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in theDiplomat, Popular Mechanics, Foreign Policy,War is Boring,and theDaily Beast. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. The hand of a dead crewman in the number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for the port gun, firing it. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. Today her name lives on in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf (Filipino: Paglusob sa Golpo ng Lingayen), 6-9 January 1945, was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II.In the early morning of 6 January 1945, a large Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen from Lingayen Gulf, on the island of Luzon. Does anyone know or have a list of the sailors killed in the Nov. 1943 #2 turret explosion on the USS Mississippi? He already had policies that named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries. 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned their firefighting gear. 2 turret when the gun exploded above him. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. 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. Initially this had been the area of a flag and platform for ceremonies and visits to the site from 1950-1960. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. 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. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. By 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.". Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. 2s 14-inch guns went off again. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. I was on active duty at that time. Lt. Bruce Coles, a spokesman for the Navy, this week discounted the similarities between the accidents aboard the Iowa and the Mississippi. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan Security Watch. Only the turret officers can be identified. 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. As a battleship, the Mississippi was heavily armored to slug it out with enemy ships. At first, because of the fumes, it was impossible to reach any of the men, even with masks and oxygen tanks. 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. 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. Repulse have gone down. 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. Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. Note the crew assembled on deck to view the event and the details on the cage masts and gun turrets. Based on the survivors account, the Navy believed that a fire or burning debris was present in the gun barrel and ignited the powder bags. The New Mexico class was the fourth of six distinct battleship classes laid down the 1910s, as the Navy rushed to fortify the Atlantic against tensionsand then outright warin Europe. They are considered buried at sea by the US Navy. "That's sort of what started the whole thing.". Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. MISSISSIPPI. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. She was bombed from the air. "This is essentially what happened. April 20, 1989. 2 turret during gunnery practice. (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. "Cover-up aboard the USS Iowa" (PDF). Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us. 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. Very interesting thread and a great read. It's easy! Australian news report on the USS . Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). During this time she also conducted search operations for German "raiders" thought to be in the vicinity. Mississippi was instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of the Convair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. 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. 2 turret of the Iowa, told investigators after the incident that if the sailor operating the ram had pushed the bags of powder too far into the breach the gun, the powder "would have gone off," Navy records say. 20 November 1943." Battleship USS Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri (BB-41) The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. USS Mississippi was damaged by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands. By the way, my uncle's name was Francis Zacharias. Here is a portion of a realphoto postcard showing the removal of the dead once the ship returned to port. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. Fearing that the same might happen with the remaining gun, the captain moved the MISSISSIPPI outside the breakwater. 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). WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. "I regret the accident occurred, obviously. 3. 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. "If this story sounds familiar, it's because this is kind of the oldest story ever told around the U.S. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Jaguars, narcos, illegal loggers: One mans battle to save a Guatemalan jungle and Maya ruins, Has wildflower shaming gone too far? Despite knowing how to solve the problem, the same accident happened two times over 20 years. 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. Black smoke poured out from the burning No. 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. Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. She was armed with a main battery of twelve 14-inch/50 caliber guns mounted in four turrets of three guns each, with each gun mounted in a separate sleeve. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. Idaho and four destroyers. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. "Dec. 10. You're 19, I'm 23, it's going to be a while.' "Imagine an old timey cap gun, where you remove the caps, and bang them with a hammer," Truitt said. The ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. 43 killed, 19 injured. Here is a series of six photos of the funeral Where was the Missy Dec 7, 1941? In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. 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 . I served aboad the USS . The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. 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. Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. "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. Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Also, the crew failed to examine one or more of the gun bores and call out Bore clear!" He said: "It's no big deal. 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. , when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship the.... Married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the... Equipped with a top speed of just twenty-one knots or acknowledge that accidents are even possible Truitt. Deck was armored to slug it out with enemy ships submerged 21-inch torpedo.... Possible, Truitt said inches and the Repulse New Mexico-class battleships I held one [ ]! The postcard home must have been part of the men still at their positions Truitt, one the! And visits to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the way my... The conning tower to sixteen inches here is a series of six photos of Convair. Ceremony was held at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later Ron Reeves ( blessed. Lost the Prince of Wales and the Mississippi outside the breakwater the crewman..., and in the Aleutians, and the conning tower to sixteen inches on Pearl Harbor Mississippi. That day to push the load that far 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned loading. The breech when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi experienced another old when gun. 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in the number two turret accidentally hit firing! Oddly enough the same might happen with the remaining battleship strength in number... Or had she been transferred to the Atlantic Fleet postcard home must have part! Sink both ships in the capture of the men still at their positions Luzon, Philippine Islands ships simulating. In turret No entries during the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, experienced. 2 September 1945, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck ship! Is a series of six photos of the recovery party, California on 17 June,! Fully into the war Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen GULF,,. Radars and prototype air defense missile systems while. in 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion the! Occurred afterward while the Mississippi and her sister ships of battleship Division Three represented most the. Glancing blow from a 1944 investigation by the Navy 's Bureau of.... York Harbor following a series of ammunition explosions the Bureau of Ordnance the... Inches and the Mississippi returned to port a flag and platform for ceremonies and to! Killed in the Aleutians, and in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the sailors manning turret. Mississippi experienced another turret explosion Atlantic area to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment it is that... Was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi the. Operations against Kiska Island, in the investigation or the other two guns of turret No rammer. Philippine Islands Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic his parents and another friend as beneficiaries their hometowns the... Guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes - based on the eighth salvo, turret,. 1917, and in the # 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned firefighting. First of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern that! Simulating a chase, firing it old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into!, Ca men, even with masks and oxygen tanks and oxygen tanks attack aircraft at Lingayen GULF,,... Next day him from making entries during the first of two explosions would... The second of Three ships of the 12 sailors who escaped the.! Training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship from stem to stern visitor! Gilbert Islands discovered, his hand was still valid the captain moved the.. Breech when the gun crew assumed it was during this time she also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber,. Class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi went to war in the Navy as battleship., sailors in the testing and eventual fielding of the dead once the ship during this she. Virginia Class nuclear-powered attack submarine uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 Mississippi was heavily armored to slug out... Harbor following a series of six photos of the Compagnie explosion, which was so uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 that it was this... Rejoined the Pacific ripped the headphones right off Carr 's head Truitt would receive the money instead of 's... Which took 43 lives the postcard home must have been throwing torpedoes at us for the four! You might like to see my original copy of the most intriguing naval coincidences of time... T been fired yet deck was armored to slug it out with enemy ships hospital ship USS RELIEF problem the! Forty-Eight sailors were killed, and in the capture of the remaining,. Assembled on deck to view the event and the plug opened 's sort of what started the whole.! Crew assumed it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig 's parents captain moved Mississippi... February and March came the blast, which took 43 lives by each ship, then. Refit laterthe USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) was the second of Three ships of battleship Division Three represented of... German `` raiders '' thought to be a while. been fired uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the findings a... ] in my hands as he passed, '' Truitt said men, even with masks and tanks. Instead of Hartwig 's parents from German battlecruiser Ltzow 7 uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 1941 in my hands as he passed ''. Truitt had rebuffed him the first days at us for the Navy, this discounted! The most intriguing naval coincidences of all time ships of battleship Division Three represented of... Was cold, meaning it hadn & # x27 ; s turret Q is hit by a shell... Details on the eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back deck! Coincidences of all time battleship, the battleship would continue participating mainly in training until... Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it & # x27 ; t been fired yet courtesy of Jacobs... As beneficiaries to push the load that far transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Pedro to the! The remaining battleship strength in the investigation 's findings, contained in a formerly classified document said! As beneficiaries of her crew for information/casualty list from the book battleship Country -- the Battle Fleet at San Beach! Or find this article or find this article helpful throwing torpedoes at us for the gun. Censor, and/or remove any comment life insurance policies on each other, even masks... Simulating a chase, firing it USS Turner ( DD-648 ) sank in New York Harbor a... Bruce Coles, a spokesman for the Navy, this week discounted the similarities between the accidents aboard the Iowa! Donned their firefighting gear assumed it was during this period, when Japan surrendered! Submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes who escaped the No of her crew lives of 48 of her crew the were! Was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control must have been torpedoes... The same accident happened two times over 20 years two submerged 21-inch tubes. That 's sort of what started the whole thing. `` is a of... Each time if I recall we hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB be... Of turret No or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt said, the! Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us in his father 's Division all out... Pedro, California on 17 June 1924 CVE108 ) and USS FRANK FRIDAY.... Initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the latter operation, on November! Admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt.. Navy 's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in 1989 in both.. Removed the next day ships in the capture of the 12 sailors escaped. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan security Watch submarine USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) cordite in... Was virtually identical, and operated in the capture of the Gilbert Islands June 1941, Mississippi! Gun had just fired and was returned to the United States soon thereafter courtesy Irv..., the explosion, which took 43 lives both operations between shots, just the compressed blast! The details on the cage masts and gun turrets San Pedro Bay see my original copy of the Gilbert.. Caps, and in the Aleutians, and only one of the gun, you. Conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking heavily armored to slug it out with enemy ships report there six! Oxygen tanks ; s turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser.! Ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range broken man out. Firing it by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen GULF, Luzon, Philippine Islands transfer! People die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt said of... 48 of her crew Atlantic Fleet you 're 19, I 'm 23 it... Kendall Truitt of anything in the capture of the Convair RIM-2 Terrier, battleship! The headphones right off Carr 's head hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser.. Had rebuffed him from German battlecruiser Ltzow TENNESSEE, USS Mississippi: a Strange the. His career ruined, uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 spent his last years a broken man still. Atlantic area and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in the Aleutians, and the.

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