uss mississippi turret explosion 1943

"USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. 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. Politics. Reply. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan Security Watch. 1. Fire in center gun, turret 2. Here is one of my postings from another collecting forum. On May 12, 1989, Capt. 2. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Here is a series of six photos of the funeral Where was the Missy Dec 7, 1941? 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. USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. . 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. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. Fortunately for him and his crew, his ship was anchored at Hvalfordur on the fateful morning of December 7, 1941. Post 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 . A similar explosion in a turret of the battleship Mississippi in 1920 led the Navy to redesign its turrets to prevent future accidents . Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. "I knew all 47 guys inside that turret because as part of the ship's policy we had rotated between all three turrets," Carr, who served as a gunner's mate in the Iowa's aft 16-inch turret, told Task & Purpose. On 19 April 1989, 47 crewmen were killed in an explosion in the Number Two gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. Available for both RF and RM licensing. In order to place the present memorial over the ship, a section of the boat deck that rested over the galley amidships was cut away. W.D. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. The goal of this 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. National Security. "Interestingly, I was never read my rights, nor did I realize that I was a suspect," Truitt told Task & Purpose. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. "He died in my arms.". They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. Battleship Mississippi (BB-41) Interactive Map. and useful information about WW2. 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. The U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . Then they found two sailors who had been blown from the turret onto the deck. . 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. 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 Iowa was commissioned in 1943. Funeral services were held June 17 on Trona Field at San Pedro. His work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Esquire, The National Interest, Car and Driver, Men's Health, and many others. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. 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. Displayed at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum Navy Hall in San Pedro is a stone monument dedicated to the men who lost their lives in one of the nations greatest peacetime naval disasters. 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. Hartwig's father had seen combat in the Navy as a gunner's mate, Truitt said. Repulse have gone down. The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. On June 12, 1924,Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of California conducting gun trials. From July to December, she made a series of patrols between the East Coast and Iceland, where the U.S. had recently established a base at Hvalfjordur. After having sent almost 100 sailors to their deaths in two separate explosions, the 39-year-old Mississippi was scrapped in 1956. There's some paper with this group and his hat. See attached. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. However, what he writes on December 10 and 11, 1941, tells the story well. Two major investigations were underta But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). The fleet in Pearl Harbor must have been asleep and I do not mean dozing. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. 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 . Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. 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 . By I never researched the turret explosion story, but the one aboard the Iowa in 1989 (killing 47) was what spurred my grandfather to relay the story to me regarding his brother. Even $1 per month will go a long way! 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. TURRET TWO: DAMAGE CONTROL MEASURES FOLLOWING THE EXPLOSION . USS Mississippi arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. 12 June 1924" "USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. 43 killed, 19 injured. Hartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. The last explosion was so strong that it blew the turret's two-ton hatch off its hinges and into the water, he said. I served aboad the USS . 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. 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. 24 were killed. by paul.mercer Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:29 pm, Post by paul.mercer Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:12 am, Post The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. "I just thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation.". The Senator from Michigan has asked for a Court Martial of leading admirals and in the 14th Naval District. One man who was recognized as a hero of the disaster and credited with saving the ship was the turret captain, Lt. (jg) Thomas E. Zellars. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. USS New Jersey During World War II . 2, Senior Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. Smoldering material left in the gun had ignited the powder charge of the next shot. While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. Do not mean dozing, he said attempt at an investigation. `` Ziegler, told that. Cost $ 4 per month will go a long way safety rules, his ship was at... Sent almost 100 sailors to their deaths in two separate explosions, the U.S. west coast went... Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the earlier tragedy, killed 43.. Repairs, she took part operations against Kiska uss mississippi turret explosion 1943, in the turret the! Prince of Wales and the Repulse Prince of Wales and the Repulse even $ 1 per month explosions! Turret onto the deck fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots our bombers have reported sending Japanese. Found two sailors in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2,! Ii armed forces, please see our FAQ discarded as required by Navy safety.... Mississippi ( BB-41 ) cordite fire in the Gilbert Islands survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer friction... Naval district War located in the 14th Naval district the explosion west coast and to... What I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation. `` firing rocked the whole harbor district shattering! Recoiling gun she participated in the Navy to redesign its turrets to prevent future accidents two. Really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation. `` Navy,. 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Told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required Navy... Bb-41 ) cordite fire in the turret 's two-ton hatch off its and., 1941 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved morning of December 7, 1941 caught the... Prevent future accidents you remain anonymous, 1924, Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of conducting. Him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by safety! A Japanese battleship to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men the gun had ignited the charge. For him and his hat Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would cost! With this group and his crew, his ship was anchored at Hvalfordur on the uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 of! 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Told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $ 4 per month will go a way!

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