Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. 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. Facts later emerged that undermined the Navy's first investigation into the explosion, Truitt said. 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. "Dec. 10. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . Maybe I will get to see Hotel Street after all. . and provides links to, selected views concerning USS Mississippi (BB-41 and AG . (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". The Mississippi enjoyed a reputation for collecting gunnery awards, and the day before had hit 52 out of 55 targets. On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. What's our Navy doing anyway? RSS. by paul.mercer Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:12 am, Post 3 other similar ships, the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Missouri were built at the same time. Later, the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him. All of the crew had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families. 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. The military looks for scapegoats when people die rather than admit their mistakes or acknowledge that accidents are even possible, Truitt said. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. 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 . It was responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the century. 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. Funeral services were held June 17 on Trona Field at San Pedro. Idaho and four destroyers. During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. Naval officers in dress uniforms stood in front as 1200 sailors in dress blues stood on the sides of the coffins. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. 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. This is a compilation of Special Report cut-ins from ABC News during the early afternoon hours, in the aftermath of the deadly explosion aboard the USS Iowa . USS Mississippi arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. Fire in center gun, turret 2. He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. Editorial Guidelines and Publishing Standards. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. 3. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. "This is essentially what happened. 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. The last U.S. warship to experience an explosion in a similar-type gun turret was the battleship USS Mississippi when it was shelling Japanese-held Makin Island in the Pacific in November 1943 . As the rammer was withdrawn, there emerged from the breech a small grayish ball of smoke and flame followed by a large flash. . At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. RSS. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos. Initially this had been the area of a flag and platform for ceremonies and visits to the site from 1950-1960. 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. I think it was a terrible, terrific tragedy that we had. It took the sailors eight hours to douse the blaze. USS Mississippi was damaged by Japanese special attack aircraft at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands. 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. On April 16, 1989 there was an explosion in a gun turret on the U.S.S. Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. Sign up for a new account in our community. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. 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. I said, again, this is weird. 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. HTML tags are not allowed. But it soon became apparent that the World War II-era battleships required too much time, money, and manpower to be overhauled, Carroll said. 138 killed and 60 injured. Skelly, who was considered an expert and was later disciplined for his participation in unauthorized gunnery experiments aboard the Iowa, said he had heard of "at least three or four accounts" involving battleships other than the Iowa where broken powder bags "had been viewed in a gun.". He passed away in 2010. During this time she also conducted search operations for German "raiders" thought to be in the vicinity. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. -1924, the battleship USS Mississippi, the same ship, had an explosion in turret No. Later in the year, she was part of the force that invaded Peleliu and Leyte and defeated a Japanese task force in the Battle of Surigao Strait. ww2dbaseUSS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. 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 . 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. . She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. This guy served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and USS NEVADA from 1917-1919. 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. 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. That investigation continues to attract scrutiny. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". Island Hopping . Please refrain from using strong language. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. 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. 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. ww2dbaseMississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. 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. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. 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