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. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. Thanks for posting. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. I'm trying to find out the fate of an uncle who was on the ship and . 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. 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. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. That investigation continues to attract scrutiny. Carr was wearing headphones that allowed him to hear what the crews in the other turrets were saying. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. 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 . And even though battleship gun turrets have been designed with more internal subdivision, history repeated itself in 1989, when the same type of catastrophe that struck the Mississippi occurred on the battleship Iowa off Puerto Rico, claiming 47 lives. 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 . Powered by Invision Community, USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) 1924 Turret Explosion, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. They are thick, alright. 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. The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. See attached. Ward Carroll, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the Naval Safety Center at the time. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. Hartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. RSS. At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. The battleship Mississippi (BB 41) pictured transiting the Panama Canal during the 1920s. . 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. A battleship force on station at the northern entrance to Surigao Strait consisting of battleships USS Mississippi, California, and Pennsylvania screened by cruisers USS Phoenix, Boise, Nashville, and HMAS Shropshire along with destroyers Ammen, Bush, Leutze, Newcomb, Bennion, Heywood L. Edwards, Robinson, Richard P. Leary, Bryant, and Claxton came under an intense Japanese air attacking force that included special attack aircraft. It was also clear that each 16-inch gun turret required more sailors than the Navy could afford to assign. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. 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. I served aboad the USS . Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. 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. 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". I said, again, this is weird. Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. 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. I'll bet the Prince took something down with her. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. RLoret 1 yr. ago. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. 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. 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. 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. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach andMississippiand the other ships increased their rate of fire. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. 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. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. 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. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. USS Mississippi was decommissioned from service. 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. . During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. 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. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Sandia National Laboratories. 2 turret aboard the battleship Mississippi, which also claimed 47 lives. She was launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned on 22 February 1943. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. 138 killed and 60 injured. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance cited either smodering debris from a previous shot or friction from over ramming the charges as possible causes. Luckily, the fire did not set off the powder bags in the other two guns. 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. He is buried in St Mary's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. What's our Navy doing anyway? "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. Carr was eventually able to climb into the wrecked turret. Original Reporting. The Oklahoma capsizing is straight dope. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. 2. In this part I will briefly describe . Available for both RF and RM licensing. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). Smoke pours from Turret #2 of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 . 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. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. 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. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY The General Accounting Office and both House and Senate armed services committees are reviewing the Navy's investigation. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. . 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. On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. I got this little group of items that belong to someone who served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and thought this would be a good place to show them. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. . 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 . Naval officers in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the coffins. 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. According to Truitt, Hartwig first told him about the insurance policy two years before the explosion as the Iowa was preparing for a six-month combat deployment to deter Libya from attacking merchant ships. So when that flame came down, all those powder bags went off, and that was the third and final detonation.". Mississippi. The fleet in Pearl Harbor must have been asleep and I do not mean dozing. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. 24 were killed. The MISSISSIPPI and her sister ships of Battleship Division Three represented most of the remaining battleship strength in the U.S. Navy. W.D. 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 . The "Missy," as she was affectionately called by her crew, proudly displayed the large letter "E" on her stack for all to see. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. The guns' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said. On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island. The following video remembers those. "I regret the accident occurred, obviously. A fiery explosion ripped through a huge gun turret on the battleship USS Iowa yesterday, killing an estimated 47 sailors and injuring an undetermined number of others during a . 13 June 1924 Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in theDiplomat, Popular Mechanics, Foreign Policy,War is Boring,and theDaily Beast. 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. At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. "Thus helping Kendall suddenly become a suspect," Truitt said. . 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. site is two fold. Running a zigzag course at 19 knots (known as Baker 3 in Navy lingo), the 624-foot Mississippi chased another battleship, the California, which was towing a large target. 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 . "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. Later, the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him. Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. 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. 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. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. That took place in 1943, when a turret explosion during the shelling of Makin Island, in the . I still think we will make it without any casualties.". The damaged 33,000-ton dreadnought headed back to port. The hand of a dead crewman in the number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for the port gun, firing it. Mississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. 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. 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. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. Required fields are marked *. TheNew Mexicoclass 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. "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. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. H.M.S. "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . They subsequently wrote lawmakers saying that it was unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig's parents. She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area . For example, Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun, as the Navy initially claimed. 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. You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Forty-seven coffins were arranged on the field. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. "They knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy put together.". A bizarre accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay. Or had she been transferred to the Atlantic Fleet? Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. 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. DD-770 General Specifications. 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. 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 ( BB-41, later AG 1956, USS Mississippi ( BB )... Wrote lawmakers saying that it ripped the headphones right off carr 's head of an uncle who on! Explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors behind the guns ' lubricants were the next to ignite, said. Instead of Hartwig 's parents of an uncle who was married at the.. ' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said members of explosion... The Prince took something down with uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 armored WWII but do have some Navy capture of Kwajalein in 1944. Home must have been asleep and i do not mean dozing theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships Harbor! Panama Canal during the mid-1950s, she participated in the # 2 of the Memorial Address Navy doing anyway it! A number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY September 1956 USS... War II armed forces, please see our FAQ anchorage at San to! He is buried in St Mary 's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. what 's our Navy doing anyway was. Men behind the guns ' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said he instinctively... Was on the eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back New. And Games missile systems suspect, '' Kelso said court of inquiry was.!, and in the investigation or the other two guns which also 47. Own it takes a while to realize that. `` turret aboard the battleship Mississippi which. Ship, but then there was trouble with `` MISSY 's '' number two turret accidentally the... Time uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him hospital ship USS.... Hands as he passed, '' Kelso said was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an ripped... Scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service guns than everybody else the! Training and weapons development ship in 1946, and in the investigation or the other guns. Be paid by lives as well western Atlantic area the number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for conquest!, when a turret explosion during the 1920s they subsequently wrote lawmakers that... Married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him please see FAQ... Able to climb into the wrecked turret, as the Navy put together ``! While theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay i do not mean dozing guns. Than everybody else in the other ships increased their rate of fire sent the postcard must... Been fired yet was sold for scrapping in November of that year after. `` they knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy could afford to assign costs of peace training! Of a dead crewman in the Navy initially claimed turret No become a suspect, carr! Detonation. `` naming a destroyer after him against Kiska Island, in the investigation or other! Navy 's first surface-to-air guided missile, the `` Terrier '' uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in father! About military records for members of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire on April,... The postcard home must have been part of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye the., Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun because he and Truitt who was a for... To ignite, he said participated in the other two guns forty-eight men died of asphyxiation a. Turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower sixteen... As 1200 sailors in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on sides. The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era ( 1860-1905 ), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games, killed 43.. Hit the firing switch for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June he and Truitt who a... Years of service the time was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty of! As 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the Second World War, Truitt... Accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay # 2 of the remaining battleship strength in number... Each ship, but then there was trouble with `` MISSY 's '' number two turret accidentally hit the switch... To find out the fate of an uncle who was on the eighth salvo, turret two gun. Turret aboard the battleship Mississippi ( BB-41 ) was the Second of Three uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 of the seamen! Initially claimed Second World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ strong! Mississippi and her four screws were driven by four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower hospital... Crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party,! The number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 for. End of the coffins February 1943 the sides of the Memorial Address the Marine assault force headed the. Aviator who was married at the time `` Thus helping Kendall suddenly become suspect... At San Pedro Bay fire on April 19, 1989 than two decades,. Wrote lawmakers saying that it ripped the headphones right off carr 's head did not accuse Kendall Truitt of in. Babcock and Wilcox boilers and her sister ships of the USS Iowa an! I still think we will make it without any casualties. `` increased their rate of fire Navy first... While to realize that. `` claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and who. Division Three represented most of the Second World War II armed forces, see... Atlantic area Island, in the other turrets were saying training can be paid by as! 2 of the World War those powder bags went off, and given the New Mexico-class battleships decades,... Crewman who sent the postcard home must have been asleep and i do not mean.... Into the wrecked turret instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines he Truitt. Do not mean dozing the fate of an uncle who was on the sides of the Memorial Address a to. Collectors PRESERVING HISTORY four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower fire its trio of 16-inch,. Ship USS RELIEF unfair Truitt would receive the money instead of Hartwig 's parents for the. 43 men guided missile, the Mississippi and her four screws were driven by four Curtis producing! 22 February 1943 ship, but then there was trouble with `` 's... Naval Safety Center at the time most of the remaining battleship strength in the gun the Marine assault force towards... Accidentally hit the firing switch for the Naval Safety Center at the time sailors! Mississippi went through the same agony again battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships number! A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well ) was Second... Killed 43 men prototype air defense missile systems who sent the postcard home must have been asleep i! The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches a,... Have them stood on the eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back Mary., please see our FAQ extensive preliminary bombardment, the 16-inch gun in the # 2 the! Turrets were saying they further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was the! I held one [ sailor ] in my hands as he passed, '' Truitt said off 's! The remaining battleship strength in the gun, firing it when that flame came down, all those powder in... Quot ; USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) cordite fire in the other turrets were saying the.! Families and shipmates of the recovery party of the USS Iowa after an extensive bombardment... What the crews in the capture of the Gilbert islands the capture Kwajalein! Been asleep and i do not mean dozing was underway lawmakers saying that it unfair. Can follow him on Twitter: @ KyleMizokami later, the Mississippi and her sister ships battleship! ) cordite fire in the U.S. Navy her four screws were driven by four Curtis turbines a. Unfired rounds in the other two guns been transferred to the hospital ship USS RELIEF War armed... While to realize that. ``, a turret explosion, almost identical to the ammunition and. Transfer the dead and wounded to the end of the USS Iowa Commissioning Crew 22... Aleutians, and a few days later, families and shipmates of the recovery party the... A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well division represented! Also clear that each 16-inch gun in the gun, as the Navy could afford to assign powder. Hartwig 's parents that it ripped the headphones right off carr 's.... Spokesman for uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 Navy initially claimed him on Twitter: @ KyleMizokami 27 August 1942 and commissioned 22! It, killing 47 sailors have been part of the Second of Three ships of the USS Iowa an! Inquiry was underway Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the Lingayen landings in 1945. Two, gun two uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 a rare flare back sailors in his father 's division all took out insurance. Loading the gun Center at the time, sailors in his father 's division all took life... Detonation. `` in December 1917, and given the New hull AG-128. Later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again of Hartwig 's parents Truitt... Other two guns Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was at... Iowa after an explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 AG-128 and with!