Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. Japanese observation planes have been seen over San Francisco. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. TheNew 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. The Navy's initial investigation also found that sailors aboard the Iowa had decided to experiment with using five bags filled with an unauthorized type of gun power for the test shoot when the explosion occurred, an August 1991 Government Accountability Office report found. 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. "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. 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. Ward Carroll, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the Naval Safety Center at the time. 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. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. Your email address will not be published. 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 . Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. Note, however, he is identified as Frederick. Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the battleship supported operations in the Marshall Islands in January 1944 including the invasion of Kwajalein. Returning to Pearl Harbor in March 1943, . Today located in Republic of Kiribati. Australian news report on the USS . On 20 November the Mississippi suffered an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men. Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. 2 turret. 47 men were killed. I still think we will make it without any casualties.". TheIowasubsequently went to the shipyard so its power plant could be improved, but its gun systems weren't updated, he said. The turret explosion was captured by a camera mounted in one of the USS Iowa's towers. 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.". ww2dbaseIn early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. It was responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the century. 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. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. 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 . by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. 13 June 1924 Iowa . During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another flareback, when the gas-ejection system was turned off and reloaded too soon. Carr was wearing headphones that allowed him to hear what the crews in the other turrets were saying. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. ww2dbaseDuring 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. Then No. By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in Battleship Era 2 gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in the same . During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . Flash! The U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. United States General Accounting Office. The accident occurred when rescuers were removing the body of the gun pointer, who was found sitting at his post with his finger still on the trigger. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. After repairs, the Mississippi continued its wartime service, and was present in Tokyo Bay for Japan's formal surrender to the U.S. on Sept. 2, 1945. . When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. 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. 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. 3 other similar ships, the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Missouri were built at the same time. 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. Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. After overhaul at San Francisco. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. Required fields are marked *. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. 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. 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. 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. 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 Navy has continued to deny vigorously that burning ignition pads or smoldering powder bags have ever been sighted aboard its battleships or played any role in the April 19 blast. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. There is also a picture of what I think is the USS MISSISSIPPI. He said: "It's no big deal. Forty-three sailors died. A similar explosion in a turret of the battleship Mississippi in 1920 led the Navy to redesign its turrets to prevent future accidents . USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. He said: 'No, it's the same thing my dad did.". 1943 - 1943: 9: My father, A.A. Frye was an anti-aircraft gunner's mate on the starboard side. 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. Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. It was a foreseeable result of lack of training and the running . RSS. Key point:Twice the same gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up. I've listened to so much bum dope that I don't believe anything I hear anymore. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. Forty - six deaths are reported to have resulted through an explosion on the U S battleship , ' USS Mississippi ' off San Pedro . But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. They are thick, alright. Built while America was a neutral party inWorld War I,Mississippisailed into the atomic age and later served as a massive test platform for surface-to-air missiles. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. The new Mississippi displaced 32,000 tons, could make 21 knots, and carried twelve 14 . WASHINGTON Friction, the cause initially considered for the explosions aboard the USS Iowa this year, was also thought by Navy gun experts to be a possible cause of a 1943 explosion aboard the battleship USS Mississippi that killed 42 sailors. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. 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. Fire in center gun, turret 2. "Cover-up aboard the USS Iowa" (PDF). A bizarre accident occurred afterward while the Mississippi was anchored in San Pedro Bay. 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 . 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. On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. 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. USS New Jersey During World War II . 2s 14-inch guns went off again. 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 . On April 16, 1989 there was an explosion in a gun turret on the U.S.S. The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . The last explosion was so strong that it blew the turret's two-ton hatch off its hinges and into the water, he said. A new method in the launch of ship-based aircraft was displayed with the explosive-powered catapult launch of a Martin MO-1 observation plane from the forward turret of the USS Mississippi. 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. Very interesting thread and a great read. (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . Iowa. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. The USS Mississippi is home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. . If anyone knows how to trace yard long personnel to the the active units assigned please let me know thanks. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. Nov 1, 2021, 1:18 PM. 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. After the war, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. 2 turret during gunnery practice. Bipartisan. 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 died in my arms.". He already had policies that named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries. Mississippi. . During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . Flame and gases immediately filled the gun compartment, passed through the safety doors above the shell table to the other two gun compartments and through the peep doors to the turret officer's booth. The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. He is the founder and editor for the blogs Japan Security Watch, Asia Security Watch and War Is Boring. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. 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. 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