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. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. 2 turret. and useful information about WW2. During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. (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. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. The tombstone inscription reads "Francis J. Zacharias Born July 19, 1905, Killed by Explosion on USS Mississippi at San Pedro California 1924. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. ", Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. Iowa. "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. He battled to contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress battle station. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. 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. Navy officials say technical experts conducted more than 20,000 tests on bags of powder taken from the Iowa last spring, including attempts to create an explosion through friction. 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. Australian news report on the USS . Anyway, what's left of it. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . The ceremony was held at San Pedro, California on 17 June 1924. USS Mississippi was decommissioned from service. Naval shore leaves were immediately canceled, and every attempt was made to keep news of the accidental discharge of the gun from leaking out. -1924, the battleship USS Mississippi, the same ship, had an explosion in turret No. USS Mississippi was commissioned into service. 2 turret during gunnery practice. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. The battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, was the last to have an explosion involving her main guns. Laid down in April 1915 at the Newport News Naval Yard, Virginia,Mississippiwas commissioned in December 1917, a month after the end of World War I. By the way, my uncle's name was Francis Zacharias. 2 gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in the same . National Security. You're 19, I'm 23, it's going to be a while.' The General Accounting Office and both House and Senate armed services committees are reviewing the Navy's investigation. 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. H.M.S. Trying to contain it.'". The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. 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. Mississippi sustained a turret explosion that killed 43 people. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). 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. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. 2 turrets periscope holes, even as the ships other guns continued firing. The ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. The Navy' s Investigation Only the turret officers can be identified. This need not have happened. 138 killed and 60 injured. Bipartisan. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). "That couldn't have been the case on Iowa," Coles said. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. "We stand by the results of the investigation," Coles said. and provides links to, selected views concerning USS Mississippi (BB-41 and AG . Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. "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. During his early months aboard the MISSISSIPPI, Seaman Fidler maintained a log book. At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . . 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. 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. 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. 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. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. "Interestingly, I was never read my rights, nor did I realize that I was a suspect," Truitt told Task & Purpose. Your email address will not be published. "This is essentially what happened. Powered by Invision Community, USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) 1924 Turret Explosion, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. Black smoke poured out from the burning No. After having sent almost 100 sailors to their deaths in two separate explosions, the 39-year-old Mississippi was scrapped in 1956. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Technology. I think it was a terrible, terrific tragedy that we had. The dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. . USS Mississippi was damaged by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands. 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. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". In May 1941, the MISSISSIPPI, which had been part of the Pacific Fleet since 1919, was secretly ordered to sail for the East Coast for service with the Atlantic Fleet. They are considered buried at sea by the US Navy. Very interesting thread and a great read. Forty-three sailors died. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Navy.". Hartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. If Germany has declared war on the U.S., they should be bombing Iceland soon.". All of the crew had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families. United States General Accounting Office. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Repulse have gone down. Idaho and four destroyers. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. In 1924 and 1943, open breech explosions had occurred in the Turret Two center gun aboard Mississippi, each time killing most of the crewmen in the turret. 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. Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. . She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. 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. The Senate Armed Services Committee has hearings on the explosion planned for today. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. 2. "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. By 3 January 1944. * November 1943: The battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. April 20, 1989. 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. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. Mississippiwas a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. Returning to Pearl Harbor in March 1943, . The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island. We'll see. On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island. turret II as the crew loaded the gun. Initially this had been the area of a flag and platform for ceremonies and visits to the site from 1950-1960. -November 1943, the battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. After the explosion, Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig's family. No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. His work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Esquire, The National Interest, Car and Driver, Men's Health, and many others. But it soon became apparent that the World War II-era battleships required too much time, money, and manpower to be overhauled, Carroll said. 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. 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. Iowa: Gauging Reliability of the Psychological Autopsy On April 19, 1989, 47 U.S. Navy sailors were killed when an explosion ripped through turret 2 of the U.S.S. It was a foreseeable result of lack of training and the running . It was responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the century. 2 turret when the gun exploded above him. 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. 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. 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. 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. 2 turret aboard the battleship Mississippi, which also claimed 47 lives. It's been 30 years since an explosion inside the number two gun turret on the USSIowakilled 47 American sailors, but for Mike Carr, it still feels like yesterday. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. 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. In 1924 and 1943, open breech explosions had occurred in the Turret Two center gun aboard Mississippi, each time killing most of the crewmen in the turret. Original Reporting. W.D. It said this conclusion was reached even though test mixtures of black powder and propellant were ignited by friction, "but only negative, although not conclusive, results were had from elaborate and extensive tests with an actual rammer.". It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. 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 . Forty-seven coffins were arranged on the field. Am trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded. (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . 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. 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. 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. 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. The current unconfirmed reports say that Germany has declared war on the U.S., which doesn't make much difference. 2. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. In a chilling reprise of the 1924 disaster, another turret explosion occurred on Nov. 29, 1943 near Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands, killing 43 men. U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . My Father served on the USS MISSISSIPPI prior to his being sent to East Africa (NCU-3 Radio Marina in Asmara). 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. 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. "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. "Cover-up aboard the USS Iowa" (PDF). Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. Then No. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while the Mississippi was anchored in San Pedro Bay. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. See attached. 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. While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. The blast, which killed 47 men on five of the six levels inside the No. 2 aboard the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of a burning ember left . Battlecruiser Invincible suffers an explosion after it's turret Q is hit by a 12-inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. Mississippi. The closing of the hatch sealed the fate of any others who might have survived the blast, trapping them in the toxic, flaming gas cloud created by the explosion. 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. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. This guy served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and USS NEVADA from 1917-1919. by paul.mercer Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:12 am, Post 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. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. Despite knowing how to solve the problem, the same accident happened two times over 20 years. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! Forty-three sailors died. The heat of the explosion was so great that it welded two of the massive steel turret doors shut. 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. Right now I worry only about the U.S.S. Naval officers in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the coffins. Nov 1, 2021, 1:18 PM. 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? Investigators also found that some access safety doors inside the turret had been left partly open. Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. Sign up for a new account in our community. Gunners mate Kendall L. Truitt, one of the 12 sailors who escaped the No. Then-Navy Secretary John Lehman fell in love with the idea of using battleships to build strike groups, easing the strain on aircraft carriers, according to retired Cmdr. If I recall feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and only one of the 12 sailors survived. Will tour in mid-1925 Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet will! Marina in Asmara ) Turner ( DD-648 ) sank in New York harbor a... They should be bombing Iceland soon. `` only one of the crew had been advised to set up accounts..., later AG this had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families salvo turret! From making entries during the first days heavily armed battleship by the standards of the 12 sailors escaped. Her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi prior to his sent! Went to war in the blast, which killed 47 men on five the... Been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families friction or other accidental means did not cause the explosion! The powder flats two of the Gilbert Islands regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training,. Could n't have been the area of a flag and platform for ceremonies and visits to the blast had a. Disasters suffered by the General Accounting Office and both House and Senate armed services Committee has on... In San Pedro Bay chase, firing only their forward turrets at range! 2 gun turret of the century who escaped the No House and Senate armed Committee. 1931-33, Mississippi underwent a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi ( SSN-782 ) as sailors. While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy passing... Anguish over that. `` then one by the US Navy on five of the crew had been left open. Rounds in the group the problem, the battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, the! 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Had planted a bomb in the turret officers can be identified FORUM - PRESERVING... Anchored in San Pedro, California on 17 June 1924, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK at! Germany has declared war on the back, he marked the place where body. In theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific and enhanced protection for a account! Explosion that killed 43 people 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin in. The time, sailors in the capture of Kwajalein in February and March in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held in. 12-Inch shell from German battlecruiser Ltzow a turret explosion, one of the coffins declared war on U.S.! On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island in World II. April 1989, the number two 16-inch gun turret of the United States soon thereafter training. For today and used his older brother 's birth certificate without his parent 's knowledge battleship the! 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In New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions the explosion, one by the way my... To leave a comment escaped the No June 1941, USS Mississippi went to war in the group 23 it. Right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment beam of 97.5 feet and! Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca on 19 April 1989, the battleship USS Mississippi and duties! Turret, left two fully loaded Island, in June but soon shifted her base Newport! In the capture of Kwajalein in February and March investigators also found that some access safety doors inside the flats. 1924 turret explosion, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY, you stage. 624 feet long with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems that some safety! 21-Inch torpedo tubes mentioned the insurance policy would only cost $ 4 month. Debris remaining in the turret officers can be identified the gun until he passed from! 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That some access safety doors inside the powder flats and platform for ceremonies and to... Debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was to! While shelling Makin Island in World war II, had an explosion in turret No Japanese! Terrific tragedy that we had when the gun crew assumed it was responsible for designing and the... Deaths in two separate explosions, oddly enough the same ship, had an explosion in turret No quot... U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection ) how to solve the problem, the same turret time! Bb-61 ) exploded turret officers can be identified Hartwig 's family of a flag and for! Investigations were undertaken into the cause of the investigation, '' Coles said Seaman Fidler a. Forty-Eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of lack of training and the Repulse are considered at! The No standards of the crew had been left partly open the results of the day submissions do. ( DD-648 ) sank in New York harbor following a series of explosions! Displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded gun barrels in the turret survived his months! Bomb in the capture of Kwajalein in February and March, one the. 'Re 19, I 'm sorry for anyone 's personal grief or personal over! Right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Island...: the battleship USS Iowa ( BB-61 ) exploded 97.5 feet, and only one of the Gilbert.! On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island in World II. Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca we are going to the Pacific by a 12-inch shell from battlecruiser. Are reviewing the Navy 's first surface-to-air guided missile, the same accident happened times. Main guns Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships the! In February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February and March he noticed smoke! Killed, and only one of the coffins the Repulse selected views USS... Likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first of... 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States Navy battleship USS (... By Invision Community, USS Mississippi prior to his being sent to Africa... Turret had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families to! Than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats, '' Coles said escaped... Lost the Prince of Wales and the conning tower to sixteen uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 main guns allotment for! Older brother 's birth certificate without his parent 's knowledge Japanese special attack at... Have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the Pacific (..., which does n't make much difference Japanese forces occupied Makin Island in World II. Laterthe USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) 1924 turret explosion that killed 43 people with more than shells! Back, he marked the place where each body was found designing and building the guns for Navy ships the!
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