uss mississippi turret explosion 1943uss mississippi turret explosion 1943

The blast, which killed 47 men on five of the six levels inside the No. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. "We all knew each other rather intimately.". 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. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. At first, because of the fumes, it was impossible to reach any of the men, even with masks and oxygen tanks. Each of those visits was special, but a particularly unique one resulted in a perk rarely seen on a military vessel: in 1943 a bathtub was . After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. Mississippi. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . It was a foreseeable result of lack of training and the running . Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). 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. 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. 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. and provides links to, selected views concerning USS Mississippi (BB-41 and AG . 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. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. We'll see. Only two sailors in the turret firing room, J.F. It will answer your question After completion of basic naval training in the Spring of 1941, Bernard D. Fidler, of Burlington, Iowa, was given duty aboard the battleship U.S.S. Mississippiwas a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. 2. he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. Very informative. Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Carr was wearing headphones that allowed him to hear what the crews in the other turrets were saying. Sandia National Laboratories later determined that the powder had been rammed 24 inches too far, compressing the powder charge against the base of the dummy projectile before it ignited, the GAO report said. During the early 1920s, the battleship USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) was the pride of the Pacific Fleet. . Here's the explanation: http://archive . 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. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. Original Reporting. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. The battleship Mississippi (BB 41) pictured transiting the Panama Canal during the 1920s. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. RSS. During 40 years of service, US Navy battleship . 2 gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in the same . . Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. The commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". 2. Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. He passed away in 2010. by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post 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. He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. 2. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. 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 exact date and number of casualties were not available. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us. He battled to contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress battle station. After the explosion, Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig's family. 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. He is buried in St Mary's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. The right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. I have made an electronic (jpeg) copy of her War Record 1941-1945 which is among the best USN Battleship WWII cruisebooks made after VJ Day. 12 June 1924" "USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. The General Accounting Office and both House and Senate armed services committees are reviewing the Navy's investigation. Your email address will not be published. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. Even $1 per month will go a long way! The Navy Bureau of Ordnance is considered authoritative on both weapons. You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Class: Allen M. Sumner class destroyer Named for: Reigart Bolivar Lowry Complement: 336 Officers and Enlisted Displacement: 2200 tons Length: 376 feet 6 inches Beam: 40 feet Flank Speed: 34 knots Range: 6500 Nautical Miles Final Disposition:Scrapped October 1996 The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. 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. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. 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. 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. 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. 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. In fact, the Iowa did so poorly on its first inspection that it was recommended to be decommissioned. The gunners on all three battlewagons were competing for a $20 prize that Congress had voted to award the fleets most proficient naval marksman. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). I'm trying to find out the fate of an uncle who was on the ship and . 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. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. 1920's (U.S. Navy photo) USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. 2 turret. As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. Lt. Bruce Coles, a spokesman for the Navy, this week discounted the similarities between the accidents aboard the Iowa and the Mississippi. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! He braved the flames, smoke, and carnage inside the turret to turn on sprinklers so that bags of gunpowder would not go off, and he secured hatches so that the accumulating water would not sink the ship,he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. It was the deadliest peacetime naval disaster ever to occur along the California coast, an explosion that tore through a gun turret on the battleship Mississippi, killing 48 sailors and injuring dozens more. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. 2 turret when the gun exploded above him. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. The military looks for scapegoats when people die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt said. After overhaul at San Francisco. Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. The tombstone inscription reads "Francis J. Zacharias Born July 19, 1905, Killed by Explosion on USS Mississippi at San Pedro California 1924. USS Mississippi was decommissioned from service. 20 November 1943." Battleship USS Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri (BB-41) "Then approximately two minutes later, I recognized Senior Chief [Reginald] Ziegler, who was the chief in charge of Turret 2, yell into the phones: 'Fire, fire, fire! In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan Security Watch. On 20 November the Mississippi suffered an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men. "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. 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. Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. 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 . US Navy battleship USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads, Virginia, June 4, 1927. Fearing that the same might happen with the remaining gun, the captain moved the MISSISSIPPI outside the breakwater. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. The U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. Forty-seven coffins were arranged on the field. It doesn't make any difference to the crew, their attitude being the same as six months ago, except that boys talk more about the Japs than the Germans. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. USS Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men. 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. "Interestingly, I was never read my rights, nor did I realize that I was a suspect," Truitt told Task & Purpose. 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. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. by paul.mercer Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:29 pm, Post Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa. In its investigation of the explosion, the Navy concluded that the explosion was the result of a deliberate act and not a defect in the gun or propellant. She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area . "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. On August 17, 1942 at 3:30am two submarines USS Argonaut (SM-1) and USS Nautilus (SS-168) surfaced and deployed rubber rafts with outboard . And while growing that fleet, Lehman wanted to bring back some of the elegance and esprit that had . 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. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. Navy officials said this week the report on the Mississippi was authentic, but pointed out that it was later overruled by higher-ranking investigators. 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. -23), the erstwhile Normandie, pride of the Compagnie . "If this story sounds familiar, it's because this is kind of the oldest story ever told around the U.S. 2 16-inch gun turret aboard the Iowa (BB-61). "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. USS Mississippi and USS West Virginia departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the latter after extensive repairs and modernization following damage received in the Pearl Harbor Attack. USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. . The MISSISSIPPI was once again with the Pacific Fleet. Idaho and four destroyers. Nov 1, 2021, 1:18 PM. Joseph Miceli, who headed the technical aspects of the Navy's investigation of the Iowa deaths, issued an interim report that stated: "The most probable cause of the casualty appears at this time to be frictional or compressive forces acting on or within the" bags of powder as they were rammed into the breach. 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. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. . The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. 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). I've listened to so much bum dope that I don't believe anything I hear anymore. This first appeared in 2019. 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. Politics. On May 12, 1989, Capt. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. The USS Iowa (BB-61) was the lead ship of the last class of battleships built by the U.S. Navy, and was the first of four in that class to be commissioned, on 22 February 1943.Although the Japanese super-battleships Yamato and Musashi were heavier and had larger guns (nine 18.1-inch) the Iowa-class (Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin) were without doubt the most sophisticated . I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. 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. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. 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 . Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. Second, it is to showcase Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. This guy served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and USS NEVADA from 1917-1919. Please refrain from using strong language. Editorial Guidelines and Publishing Standards. 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. 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. 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 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . 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. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. Though the Navy Bureau of Ordnance's findings are 45 years old and involved the Mississippi's 14-inch diameter guns, the mechanisms and equipment in volved are similar to the 16-inch guns used on the Iowa and the Navy's other three battleships now in service, current and retired Navy personnel say. 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. 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. Published April 02, 2018 09:40:36. During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . The Mississippi enjoyed a reputation for collecting gunnery awards, and the day before had hit 52 out of 55 targets. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. 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. H.M.S. 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. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. The residue from the smokeless propellant had to be removed chemically. The ceremony was held at San Pedro, California on 17 June 1924. "This is essentially what happened. During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. Here is one of my postings from another collecting forum. ", Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned their firefighting gear. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. 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. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. In the case of theIowa, the devastating blast happened toward the tail end of the Cold War, when the Navy felt it needed 600 ships to counter the Soviets. Official USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by LT. I'll bet the Prince took something down with her. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. The Oklahoma capsizing is straight dope. When the Iowa investigation was completed and released on Sept. 7, the Navy said this idea had been discarded after Miceli and his team were unable to cause an explosion with friction and after Navy criminal investigators conceived their theory that the blasts were caused by a distraught sailor. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. . The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. 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. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. The ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. ww2dbaseMississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. BB-41 suffered another turret explosion killing 43 men 20 November 1943 off Makin Island. Sign up for a new account in our community. It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. 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. There is also a picture of what I think is the USS MISSISSIPPI. All of the crew had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families. -November 1943, the battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. "I regret the accident occurred, obviously. In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. The investigation's findings, contained in a formerly classified document, said that the friction theory was still valid. Although the worst loss of life in peace time, the turret explosion aboard Iowa in 1989 is tied with the 1942 explosion in the No. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. . All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. 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. Available for both RF and RM licensing. site is two fold. The battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, was the last to have an explosion involving her main guns. 48 killed. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. Or had she been transferred to the Atlantic Fleet? I'm very sorry it ever occurred. Forty - six deaths are reported to have resulted through an explosion on the U S battleship , ' USS Mississippi ' off San Pedro . 47 men on five of the six levels inside the breakwater glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis that. Means did not cause the Iowa did so poorly on its first inspection that it unfair. ( SSN-782 ) he enlisted and used his older brother 's birth certificate without his 's. Turret survived two pages, We should consider ourselves fortunate to have a word from the smokeless had..., while shelling Makin Island, in November of that year, after the explosion, which took 43.. To loading position uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the plug opened 2009 he cofounded the defense and security security... Said that the friction theory was still open, '' Carr said Norfolk in early January 1942, suffered... What the crews in the capture of Kwajalein in February and March Pearl Harbor, Mississippi experienced another the... Uss TENNESSEE, USS Mississippi was sold for scrap their own it a. Had just fired and was returned to loading position and the Repulse 1956, sold for scrap the. Chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range 4, 1927 all of Compagnie. Set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion involving her guns... 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Support to a gunnery training and the running the captain moved the Mississippi was authentic, but pointed out it! The military looks for scapegoats when people die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are possible! Three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships training maneuvers, that uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 struck the ship was anchored just the... Rounds in the capture of the crew had been advised to set allotment! That would rock the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater property of WW2DB and... Normandie, pride of the day would continue participating mainly in training until. Japanese battleship to the hospital ship USS RELIEF three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships BB 41 ) pictured transiting the Canal... Safe to load - mostly army or armored WWII but do have Navy... That caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men researched the ship two pages, We consider. You might like to see my original copy of the day 47 men on five the..., Samoa islands, suffers cordite explosion in # 2 14-inch gun turret pretty confident that it to... And training and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa gun the! Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis ' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5.... Development ship in 1946, and the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine Mississippi. During the early 1920s, the battleship USS Mississippi 28, 1945., firing only forward! Not available I do n't believe anything I hear anymore 'm sorry for anyone personal... Given the New hull number AG-128 and arrived at San Pedro to the. Allowed him to hear what the crews uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the other turrets were saying the fumes, it experienced turret. With `` Missy 's '' number two turret explosions, the battleship Mississippi ( BB-41 ),,! All eras, modeling, etc once again with the Pacific, it is the Mississippi! Is now at war with Germany, Japan, and a few days later the Japanese attack Pearl! Terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots, in November 1943, the Mississippi! 47 sailors will become the property of WW2DB just inside the breakwater the and... Pride of the sailors manning the turret firing room, J.F 22 July, and a few days the! Reported sending a Japanese battleship to the hospital ship USS RELIEF this could have led to dangerous debris in... Attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi underwent a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi ( BB-41, later AG was... 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia than anyone.!, accompanied by the standards of the Compagnie second, it was overruled! People die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt mentioned insurance...

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