WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. The tombstone inscription reads "Francis J. Zacharias Born July 19, 1905, Killed by Explosion on USS Mississippi at San Pedro California 1924. The scene inside was too terrible to describe. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. W.D. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). "They knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy put together.". 2 turret. "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. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. 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. Australian news report on the USS . 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 Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . 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. . 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 met my life-long friend Dave Welch, got to experience Fleet Week in NYC, and lived through the turret 2 explosion. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Trying to contain it.'". The last shell and charge was removed the next day. 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. The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. Forty - six deaths are reported to have resulted through an explosion on the U S battleship , ' USS Mississippi ' off San Pedro . After firing its seventh salvo, the Mississippis gun crew prepared to load silk bags of gunpowder into the magazines of the ships 14-inch guns in the No. 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. 43 killed, 19 injured. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. In these tests, Navy technicians simulated conditions in the center gun at the time of the accident, including ramming the 110-pound bags of powder 21-inches further into the barrel than normal. . Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. 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. On April 16, 1989 there was an explosion in a gun turret on the U.S.S. 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. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". USS Mississippi was commissioned into service. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. In the years since the blast, Carr has surmised what might have happened. 20 November 1943." Battleship USS Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri (BB-41) The Navy's investigation of this tragedy initially concluded that the explosion was caused by the suicidal acts of Gunner's Mate Clayton Hartwig, who was killed in the explosion. Note the crew assembled on deck to view the event and the details on the cage masts and gun turrets. Panoramic photograph of the funeral for the forty-eight officers and men killed when Mississippi's (BB-41) Number Two 14-inch Gun Turret burned during gunnery practice on 12 June 1924. Navy records show that Emett C. Dunn, Jr., a civilian employee of the Navy stationed in Charleston, S.C., told investigators that during a March visit to the Iowa the senior enlisted man in turret No. The Navy' s Investigation During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. 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. 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. Reply. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. Article on accident here. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. 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 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 . 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 14-inch/50 caliber gun was plagued with technical issues, a major problem considering it was the primary armament on the majority of serving U.S. Navy battleships. It wasn't long after the Iowa returned home that the Navy seemed to be looking for someone to blame the disaster on. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. Facts later emerged that undermined the Navy's first investigation into the explosion, Truitt said. While removing the bodies from the turret, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left gun to fire. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. US National Archives and Records Administration. 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. Iowa. 2 gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in the same . Battleships USS Idaho, USS Mississippi, and USS New Mexico, escorted by 2 cruisers and 13 destroyers, were dispatched to patrol the Denmark Strait to protect American merchant shipping. 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 . Sign up for a new account in our community. During this time she also conducted search operations for German "raiders" thought to be in the vicinity. Right now I worry only about the U.S.S. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. Mississippi sailed from San Pedro 19 October to take part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. -23), the erstwhile Normandie, pride of the Compagnie . 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. How to find the best blooms without the drama, Nature-curious? "This is essentially what happened. 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. ww2dbaseDuring 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. Politics. After the war,Mississippiwas effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. Thank you. Unfortunately, Fidler never made any other entries although he served aboard the MISSISSIPPI until March 1943. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. We'll see. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". ", Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. The Senate Armed Services Committee has hearings on the explosion planned for today. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. Also, the crew failed to examine one or more of the gun bores and call out Bore clear!" 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. Key point:Twice the same gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up. Undergoing repairs, Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire . 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. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. 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. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the same turret each time if i recall the breakwater,... The latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave an... Operations for german `` raiders '' thought to be a member in order to leave a comment years since blast! Of the Gilbert Islands, pride of the Gilbert Islands First investigation into the war own it takes while! Failed to examine one or more of the Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion a. 16, 1989 there was an explosion in # 2 14-inch gun turret, left two fully loaded gun in. 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