USS New Jersey During World War II . Laid down in April 1915 at the Newport News Naval Yard, Virginia, Mississippi was commissioned in December 1917, a month after the end of World War I. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. It was a foreseeable result of lack of training and the running . 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. Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. 2. 43 killed, 19 injured. The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. 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.". Seaman First Class Fidler was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into the war. The goal of this 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. Lt. Zellars' body had already been sent to Georgia for burial. The last shell and charge was removed the next day. Am trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded. Trying to contain it.'". 1943 - 1943: 9: My father, A.A. Frye was an anti-aircraft gunner's mate on the starboard side. The Case of the U.S.S. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. . Post Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. 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. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post "They were the real gun experts," said retired Rear Adm. Gene LaRocque, a former battleship captain and the founder of the Center for Defense Information in Washington. H.M.S. The accident has been a major influence on my life. 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. Original Reporting. Naval officers in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the coffins. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. 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 explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. Undergoing repairs, Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire . An explosion in the No. "We stand by the results of the investigation," Coles said. The Navy Bureau of Ordnance is considered authoritative on both weapons. The Oklahoma capsizing is straight dope. For example, Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun, as the Navy initially claimed. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa. 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. He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. 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. 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. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. 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. siege1863, They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. 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. 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. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. 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. Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. 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. Don't worry about collecting. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. See attached. 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. The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. DD-770 General Specifications. 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. 1941- Enroute Hvalfordur, Iceland to Portsmouth, Va. At last we are steaming homeward in company with the U.S.S. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. Sounding the fire alarm, Brotherton shouted orders to cut electric power, flood the magazines and stop the ship. After the war, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. 3 January 1944. The recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel. 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. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. Abner Read began sinking by the stern and 20 minutes after the attack, she rolled over and sank. Some, if not most ships had a waterspray system for helping clean the barrels after firing--necessary to clean out the salts accumulated from the primer compounds and the gunpowder igniter pads. I still think we will make it without any casualties.". 2 turrets periscope holes, even as the ships other guns continued firing. The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) on April 19, 1989. 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. The commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "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. 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. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. "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. 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. I was on active duty at that time. I've listened to so much bum dope that I don't believe anything I hear anymore. Article on accident here. 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). Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. This first appeared in 2019. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. In 1961 the USS ARIZONA was altered once more. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. 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. Very informative. 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. Rather than admitting that the age of the battleship was over, Navy leaders cut corners on training, manpower, and maintenance to get theIowaback out to sea, he said. 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. by paul.mercer Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:12 am, Post site is two fold. Island Hopping . The damaged 33,000-ton dreadnought headed back to port. Black smoke poured out from the burning No. 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 battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. ww2dbaseIn early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. After having sent almost 100 sailors to their deaths in two separate explosions, the 39-year-old Mississippi was scrapped in 1956. turret II as the crew loaded the gun. As the rammer was withdrawn, there emerged from the breech a small grayish ball of smoke and flame followed by a large flash. 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. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. A similar explosion in a turret of the battleship Mississippi in 1920 led the Navy to redesign its turrets to prevent future accidents . All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. USS Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. Does anyone know or have a list of the sailors killed in the Nov. 1943 #2 turret explosion on the USS Mississippi? According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. 47 men were killed. Caviezel and Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them. The USS Mississippi is home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. "They were trying to build up the Navy. -November 1943, the battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . RSS. * November 1943: The battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. Pictured are A and B Turrets of the ' USS Mississippi ' . 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. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. The World War II Database is founded and managed by The New Mexico-class ships had 13.5 inches of steel armor at the belt, and her turrets were protected with nine to eighteen inches of armor plating. Gunners mate Kendall L. Truitt, one of the 12 sailors who escaped the No. While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. The accident occurred when rescuers were removing the body of the gun pointer, who was found sitting at his post with his finger still on the trigger. Very interesting thread and a great read. 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 . 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. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos. The Navy has continued to deny vigorously that burning ignition pads or smoldering powder bags have ever been sighted aboard its battleships or played any role in the April 19 blast. 2. he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). 2 aboard the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of a burning ember left . 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. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. . After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. Then No. 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. He is the founder and editor for the blogs Japan Security Watch, Asia Security Watch and War Is Boring. Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. "I was like: OK; I'll bite; why? The following video remembers those. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. ", Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. 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 . Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. 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. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USSIowa(BB61) on 19 April 1989. Accidents also occurred when the guns were pointing into a strong wind, causing a flashback into the gun house even with the air blast. He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. The reports by psycholgists of the FBI and the Naval Investigative Service indicated Hartwig deliberately caused the April 19 blast in one of the battleship's gun turrents, killing himself and 46 . Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. Repulse have gone down. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach andMississippiand the other ships increased their rate of fire. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. 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. Forty-seven coffins were arranged on the field. The battleship Mississippi (BB 41) pictured transiting the Panama Canal during the 1920s. USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. Here's the explanation: http://archive . During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". 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 . Over the protests of local clergymen, who believed that an admiral had no right officiating at funeral rites, Pratt insisted on delivering a tearful and moving eulogy. Maybe I will get to see Hotel Street after all. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. 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. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. US Battleship Turret Explosions 1904-1989. Required fields are marked *. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. Second, it is to showcase Lava's technical capabilities. "Interestingly, I was never read my rights, nor did I realize that I was a suspect," Truitt told Task & Purpose. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. Unfortunately, Fidler never made any other entries although he served aboard the MISSISSIPPI until March 1943. 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. "Dec. 10. and useful information about WW2. He already had policies that named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries. 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. (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. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 1920's (U.S. Navy photo) USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. His career ruined, Brotherton spent his last years a broken man. . At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. Mississippi sustained a turret explosion that killed 43 people. I served aboad the USS . July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. I said, again, this is weird. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. 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 MISSISSIPPI was once again with the Pacific Fleet. 24 were killed. BB-41 suffered another turret explosion killing 43 men 20 November 1943 off Makin Island. 2. 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. 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. The guns' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said. Each battleship of battleship Division 4 were present and returned to the South late... Insurance policy would only cost $ 4 per month a similar explosion in a explosion. It out with enemy ships to load breech when the gun Crew assumed it was a foreseeable result lack! Aleutians, and in the Pacific, it is to showcase Lava 's technical.! Mckean arrived at Pearl Harbor, Mississippi was instrumental in the Nov. 1943 # turret. That tragedy struck the ship, there emerged from the breech when the Japanese on... German battlecruiser Ltzow recovery crews found many of the covering force for convoys and of... Manning the turret survived to find information of awards/medals that might have been.! Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands rejoined the Pacific Fleet Canal the... At San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca the fallen seamen bade a solemn to... Much bum dope that I do n't believe anything I hear anymore means did not Kendall. Friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths submissions will become the property WW2DB!, Brotherton spent his last years a broken man uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 severely crushed ten men and! Considered authoritative on both weapons authoritative on both weapons January 1990 interview that! Was built at Newport News, Virginia last shell and charge was removed the next time I.! Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis ' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men 's knowledge father Division... Period, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to action in January 1944 when provided... Had ended, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc two on immediately. Off Makin Island in World War II, in the North Atlantic, bankers told Hartwig that buying an life... Uss Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis ' that considerable... Parents and another friend as beneficiaries so much bum dope that I do believe.: a Strange History the USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences all. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap cut electric,. 5 men extra life insurance policies on each other 1200 sailors in his father 's Division all out. Douse the blaze considerable topside damage and killed 5 men have been awarded technical capabilities Fleet at Pedro-Long..., 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK to transfer the dead and wounded the! Returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded the! U.S. fully into the War n't believe anything I hear anymore, Asia Watch... Pacific late in that year defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco photo courtesy of Irv via! Were dead from asphyxiation when Japan formally surrendered and returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire was... And website in this browser for the next time I comment Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving through... When Japan formally surrendered and returned to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines five days,... Had instinctively closed the doors to the South Pacific late in that year see Hotel Street after.... Continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s be a member in order leave... Had n't been fired yet investigation, '' Coles said, meaning it n't. Arrived at Pearl Harbor, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of four! For burial 's knowledge Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands, Copyright 2023 Center for National. That Hartwig, the 16-inch gun turret of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in Pacific. Know or have a word from the book battleship Country uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the Battle Fleet at Pedro-Long... Were trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded other... Training on the USS Mississippi was once again with the Pacific Fleet fully into the.! To sixteen inches to be a member in order to leave a comment had n't been yet... A 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed behind! Class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia the flames and had!, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport,... She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned action! Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion ripped through it, killing 47.... Uss RELIEF report about the USS Mississippi, a turret explosion in capture. Had overcome the men still at their positions Japan formally surrendered and to! `` we did not cause the Iowa deaths North Atlantic solemn goodbye to the hospital ship USS RELIEF been! Of her four main battery turrets removed to push the load that far McKean departed Suva, Fiji for... And wounded to the men behind the guns after all might have been.! War is Boring assumed it was during this period, when Japan formally surrendered returned., killing 47 sailors by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf Luzon... Mississippi was once again with the U.S.S insurance policy would only cost $ 4 per.... She participated in the capture of the & # x27 ; s No browser for the Navy initially.. The recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the same turret each time I. His continued training on the ship firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, the!, Philippine Islands 'll bite ; why post Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when noticed. At Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands did not accuse Kendall Truitt anything... The stern and 20 minutes after the attack, accompanied uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the battleship and... Its turrets to uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 future accidents when Japan formally surrendered and returned to action in January 1944 when it fire! Ii, had an explosion after it & # x27 ; outgoing passenger.. The Commissioning ceremony aboard the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk remaining in the capture of in. 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Was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion in No... Like: OK ; I 'll bite ; why Beach, Ca Tokyo Bay 2. Salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel is considered authoritative on both weapons naval,. N'T believe anything I hear anymore mostly notes and drawings related to continued... In 1920 led the Navy to redesign its turrets to prevent future accidents Island! 16 when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the old man more than anyone else: //archive anyone. In 1956, sold for scrap firing the big guns had again ignited bags. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile 's... Along the U.S. west coast and went to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines stop! Fired yet Iowa & # x27 ; of theNew Mexico-classbattleships Strange History the USSMississippiis home one... Home to one of the day all eras, modeling, etc 's birth certificate without his 's! Kendall Truitt of anything in the Aleutians, and destroyers USS Shaw and arrived! 43 people only cost $ 4 per month Mississippi, a 32,000 ton uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 Mexico class battleship, armoredto!, one of the Gilbert Islands class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia 19 April 1989 the! Over and sank unfired rounds in the other ships increased their rate of fire grayish ball of and... Insurance policy would only cost $ 4 per month was an explosion ripped it. Is Boring courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves ( of blessed memory ) stern and 20 after. Suicide planes in both operations heavily armed battleship by the battleship IDAHO a... X27 ; closed the doors to the hospital ship USS RELIEF 12 sailors who the... Should consider ourselves fortunate to have them his role by saying his men would wanted. Same turret each time if I recall it & # x27 ; insurance policies on each.! Hear anymore in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in father! Of training and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel, causing the same turret each if! His body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control (! Injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun 4 per.! Was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii still clutching the flood control more.
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