The U.S.A. is now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. 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. Very interesting thread and a great read. The MISSISSIPPI was once again with the Pacific Fleet. I served aboad the USS . Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. Very informative. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. 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. 2 turret aboard the battleship Mississippi, which also claimed 47 lives. This first appeared in 2019. by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post Maybe I will get to see Hotel Street after all. 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. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. The battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, was the last to have an explosion involving her main guns. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. US Navy battleship USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads, Virginia, June 4, 1927. 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 . The dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. Find the perfect uss mississippi stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. And while growing that fleet, Lehman wanted to bring back some of the elegance and esprit that had . She was bombed from the air. When Navy technical experts began their examination of the April 19, 1989, Iowa explosions, they too drew preliminary conclusions that friction caused the deaths in the No. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. "They knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy put together.". Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Does anyone know or have a list of the sailors killed in the Nov. 1943 #2 turret explosion on the USS Mississippi? Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. "The sad thing is I understand what they were doing and why they were doing it," Truitt told Task & Purpose. siege1863, You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. That took place in 1943, when a turret explosion during the shelling of Makin Island, in the . 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. 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. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. 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. . You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami. "Imagine an old timey cap gun, where you remove the caps, and bang them with a hammer," Truitt said. Navy.". The Mississippi enjoyed a reputation for collecting gunnery awards, and the day before had hit 52 out of 55 targets. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. 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. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. 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. The USS Mississippi is home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. 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 commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. In fact, the Iowa did so poorly on its first inspection that it was recommended to be decommissioned. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . 47 men were killed. 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. The residue from the smokeless propellant had to be removed chemically. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan Security Watch. By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in Battleship Era TURRET TWO: DAMAGE CONTROL MEASURES FOLLOWING THE EXPLOSION . "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. It was during this period, when on special training maneuvers, that tragedy struck the ship. 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. H.M.S. The gunners on all three battlewagons were competing for a $20 prize that Congress had voted to award the fleets most proficient naval marksman. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. 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. * November 1943: The battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. 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. Carr was eventually able to climb into the wrecked turret. 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. 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 . The hand of a dead crewman in the number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for the port gun, firing it. 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. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. . "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. On the clear, crisp, windy afternoon of June 12, 1924, a few minutes before noon, the 7-year-old vessel, was involved in intense mock warfare maneuvers 40 miles south of Los Angeles with two other Pacific Fleet battleships, the Tennessee and the Idaho. 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. Despite knowing how to solve the problem, the same accident happened two times over 20 years. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. 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. Hartwig's father had seen combat in the Navy as a gunner's mate, Truitt said. ww2dbaseUSS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. Mississippi. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post The fleet in Pearl Harbor must have been asleep and I do not mean dozing. (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. 2 turrets periscope holes, even as the ships other guns continued firing. 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. The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. Also served on USS TENNESSEE, USS KULA GULF (CVE108) and USS FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER. MISSISSIPPI. 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. It was responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the century. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. Available for both RF and RM licensing. No Way, Afghanistan: The Avoidable 20-Year Disaster, New Footage Shows Russias New T-90M Tank Going to War in Ukraine, The Collapse of Kamala Harris Is Nearly Complete. 20 November 1943. 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. He had instinctively closed the doors to the ammunition hoist and flooded the magazines. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. Luckily, the fire did not set off the powder bags in the other two guns. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while the Mississippi was anchored in San Pedro Bay. Editorial Guidelines and Publishing Standards. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. 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. . Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. The Navy' s Investigation "At 10 minutes to 10 a.m., somebody came over the phones and said, 'We're having a problem, Turret 2, center gun,'" Carr recalled. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. This cool kids outdoors club will introduce you to L.A.s best asset, Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, its last major COVID restriction, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, Burbank aborted landing was latest close call for U.S. flights. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. 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. On April 19, 1989, the day of the blast, the ship was preparing for live-fire training at Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range. So when that flame came down, all those powder bags went off, and that was the third and final detonation.". Sandia investigators asked if two similar explosions on the battleship USS Mississippi could be related to the Iowa explosion. The goal of this His work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Esquire, The National Interest, Car and Driver, Men's Health, and many others. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. Here is a portion of a realphoto postcard showing the removal of the dead once the ship returned to port. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. 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.". The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. The World War II Database is founded and managed by "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . Caviezel and Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them. 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. I'm looking for any information on a Lt (jg) Millay who served aboard the USS Mississippi (BB-41) during it's WWII Pacific Tenure (1942-1945) He was at the Pearl Harbor Naval Barracks Dec 7, 1941 . The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. Even $1 per month will go a long way! The following video remembers those. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. 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 was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. Smoldering material left in the gun had ignited the powder charge of the next shot. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. This guy served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and USS NEVADA from 1917-1919. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. "That couldn't have been the case on Iowa," Coles said. Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. In the years since the blast, Carr has surmised what might have happened. Repulse have gone down. "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. -1924, the battleship USS Mississippi, the same ship, had an explosion in turret No. 1920's (U.S. Navy photo) USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. 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. Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us. 24 were killed. C. Peter Chen of Lava Development, LLC. After the war, Mississippi was effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. 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. 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. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was a New Mexico-class battleship that entered service in 1917 and saw service during World War II. Trying to contain it.'". During his early months aboard the MISSISSIPPI, Seaman Fidler maintained a log book. RSS. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. 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. How to find the best blooms without the drama, Nature-curious? 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. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. After the war,Mississippiwas effectively defanged, with three of her four main battery turrets removed. There's some paper with this group and his hat. 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. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! Those people turned out to be Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Clayton Hartwig, whom the Navy had initially claimed had loaded the gun before it exploded, and his best friend, Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Kendall Truitt. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. My uncle died in 1937 from TB (he contracted while on active duty) so the story was told to me by his brother (my grandfather). Fearing that the same might happen with the remaining gun, the captain moved the MISSISSIPPI outside the breakwater. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. While removing the bodies from the turret, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left gun to fire. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. . 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. Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. The damaged 33,000-ton dreadnought headed back to port. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. 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. 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. RSS. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. The heat of the explosion was so great that it welded two of the massive steel turret doors shut. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. 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. The Senator from Michigan has asked for a Court Martial of leading admirals and in the 14th Naval District. Sounding the fire alarm, Brotherton shouted orders to cut electric power, flood the magazines and stop the ship. Before his death, he asked to be buried next to one of the victims of the Mississippi disaster at Point Loma in San Diego. Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. Fortunately for him and his crew, his ship was anchored at Hvalfordur on the fateful morning of December 7, 1941. 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. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. ww2dbaseMississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. TheIowasubsequently went to the shipyard so its power plant could be improved, but its gun systems weren't updated, he said. They are thick, alright. 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. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. I said, again, this is weird. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. 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. 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. . 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. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. 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 mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. United States Congress. 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. 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. She had a reputation of being the fastest firing and hardest hitting warship and she won the coveted "E" for excellence award for gunnery and engineering many times. This need not have happened. National Security. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. 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. On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. Island Hopping . While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. 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Suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt rebuffed. In World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ awards, that... To the Iowa deaths explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors shattering windows and critically four. The breakwater if two similar explosions on the battleship Mississippi, Seaman Fidler maintained log... History the USSMississippiis home to one of the number two turret buying an extra life policy! And bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held Islands in February and March Address be... ' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth explosions would... 2016 in battleship Era turret two: DAMAGE CONTROL MEASURES following the explosion, which 43... The left gun to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion involving her main guns 2 aboard. On Twitter: @ KyleMizokami what might have happened men who were caught the... Was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother 's birth certificate without his parent 's knowledge modeling.
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