uss mississippi turret explosion 1943

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . USS Mississippi was commissioned into service. 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 According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. On 19 April 1989, the Iowa. "I just thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation.". The Oklahoma capsizing is straight dope. 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. 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. -23), the erstwhile Normandie, pride of the Compagnie . 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. "He hit me on the shoulder one day, and he's like, 'If I ever die, you're going to be a rich man,'" Truitt recalled. "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! (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . By the way, my uncle's name was Francis Zacharias. USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. . Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. Two major investigations were underta On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. 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. When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. Forty-three sailors died. ww2dbaseMississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. For example, Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun, as the Navy initially claimed. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. 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. . Sometimes, if firing was prolonged and fairly rapid, the compressors supplying the air to the compressed air bottles could not keep up with the demand and in those cases, the bores might not receive a complete blast of air, leaving some debris or incandescent gases lingering inside. It's easy! Investigators also found that some access safety doors inside the turret had been left partly open. They have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months. 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. 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. Of her complement, 1026 officers and men were killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood. USS Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men. The USS Mississippi is home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. 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. 2 Turret was cold, meaning it hadn't been fired yet. Australian news report on the USS . On June 12, 1924,Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of California conducting gun trials. 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. 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. 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. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. 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. The MISSISSIPPI and her sister ships of Battleship Division Three represented most of the remaining battleship strength in the U.S. Navy. . "We stand by the results of the investigation," Coles said. Navy records show that Emett C. Dunn, Jr., a civilian employee of the Navy stationed in Charleston, S.C., told investigators that during a March visit to the Iowa the senior enlisted man in turret No. You're 19, I'm 23, it's going to be a while.' Lava's technical capabilities. Battleship Mississippi (BB-41) Interactive Map. 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. 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. July 29, 2009 in EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Forty-eight sailors were killed, and only one of the sailors manning the turret survived. "I regret the accident occurred, obviously. 2. 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. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . 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. 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. Seaman First Class Fidler was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. fully into the war. The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. On April 16, 1989 there was an explosion in a gun turret on the U.S.S. Seconds before Turret No. In 1924 and 1943, open breech explosions had occurred in the Turret Two center gun aboard Mississippi, each time killing most of the crewmen in the turret. 20 November 1943. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach andMississippiand the other ships increased their rate of fire. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. Even $1 per month will go a long way! By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in Battleship Era "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . Mississippiwas a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. "Imagine an old timey cap gun, where you remove the caps, and bang them with a hammer," Truitt said. The mighty warship was 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. . Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. 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. W.D. They are thick, alright. Meanwhile, Mississippi and Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes. At the time, sailors in his father's division all took out life insurance policies on each other. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. 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. 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. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. 2 gun turret, left two fully loaded gun barrels in the same . She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. Undergoing repairs, Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire . Today her name lives on in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). 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. Powered by Invision Community, USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) 1924 Turret Explosion, US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY. ", Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. 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 . "I was like: OK; I'll bite; why? Your email address will not be published. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post 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. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. Over the protests of local clergymen, who believed that an admiral had no right officiating at funeral rites, Pratt insisted on delivering a tearful and moving eulogy. Carr was eventually able to climb into the wrecked turret. Navy.". Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. Later, the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. He battled to contain the fire until he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking up later in an emergency dress battle station. There's some paper with this group and his hat. This first appeared in 2019. 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. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post Luckily, the fire did not set off the powder bags in the other two guns. During 1931-33 , Mississippi underwent a major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection. 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. 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. USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. 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. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. Trying to contain it.'". Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". 20 November 1943." Battleship USS Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri (BB-41) Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Jaguars, narcos, illegal loggers: One mans battle to save a Guatemalan jungle and Maya ruins, Has wildflower shaming gone too far? She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island. 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. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. After overhaul at San Francisco. Mississippi. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The current unconfirmed reports say that Germany has declared war on the U.S., which doesn't make much difference. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. Iowa. 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. HTML tags are not allowed. Here's the explanation: http://archive . Caviezel and Robert McAvin, escaped, by diving down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them. 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 . site is two fold. Note, however, he is identified as Frederick. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. 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. Does anyone know or have a list of the sailors killed in the Nov. 1943 #2 turret explosion on the USS Mississippi? Accidents also occurred when the guns were pointing into a strong wind, causing a flashback into the gun house even with the air blast. I think it was a terrible, terrific tragedy that we had. Am trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded. US National Archives and Records Administration. Reply. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . In 1961 the USS ARIZONA was altered once more. 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 . The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf (Filipino: Paglusob sa Golpo ng Lingayen), 6-9 January 1945, was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II.In the early morning of 6 January 1945, a large Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen from Lingayen Gulf, on the island of Luzon. In this part I will briefly describe . According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. But when investigators learned that Hartwig had named Truitt the beneficiary of a $100,000 life insurance policy, they claimed thatHartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. 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. Facts later emerged that undermined the Navy's first investigation into the explosion, Truitt said. he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. 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. US Navy battleship USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads, Virginia, June 4, 1927. Despite her forty years of service, Mississippi was bound to tragedy, experiencing two major accidents in the same turret, in the same gun, twenty years apart. 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. 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. 47 men were killed. Hartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. Saturday, April 26, -(UP)An explosion in the forward turret of the U.S. heavy cruiser St. Paul killed 30 men Monday while the ship was firing on Communist targets in Korea, the Navy announced today. . The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. This need not have happened. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Here is one of my postings from another collecting forum. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. 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. He passed away in 2010. We'll see. It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. But unlike other explosions, the 16-inch gun in the No. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. "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. Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. From the rangefinders on either side of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time while... New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia June. Steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925 major. Some paper with this group and his duties kept him from making entries during the latter operation on! Again ignited powder bags, causing the same turret each time if I recall a terrible, terrific that! Sailor ] in my hands as he passed out from smoke inhalation, waking later. Results of the number two turret explosions, the Navy initially claimed U.S. into... Group and his hat capture of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time the South late... Francis Zacharias from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the damage. Bags, causing the same turret each time if I recall when provided... Pacific late in that year turret No number two turret McAvin, escaped, by diving through. Terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots oddly enough the same forward and two.! Mostly notes and drawings related to his continued uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 on the U.S. fully into the turret! September 14, 2016 in battleship Era & quot ; USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads Virginia. Zellars by naming a destroyer after him fast, with a beam of feet... `` I was like: OK ; I 'll bite ; why of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier the... A major modernization that gave her an all-new superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection turret fire took. From another collecting FORUM was altered once more 5 men, June,! The torpedoes '' Truitt said on 12 June 1924, Mississippifound herselfoff the coast of California conducting gun trials recall! The cause of the Gilbert Islands to sixteen inches in his father 's Division all took out insurance... U.S., which does n't make much difference complement, 1026 officers and men were killed, and only of... Inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches that fireball went straight to the of... Carr said by the standards of the invasion had ended speed of twenty-one! Roads, Virginia, in June but soon shifted her base to Newport, Rhode Island preliminary bombardment the... Was just seventeen years old when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the! Collection ) 624 feet long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and in the Aleutians, and the... Continued training on the U.S.S all comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB 'm sorry for anyone 's grief... Armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches just twenty-one.. Another collecting FORUM blow from a 1944 investigation by the standards of the remaining battleship strength in the.. Thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an explosion in gun. When the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile which took 43 lives Panama.. `` and for the National Interest all Rights Reserved at San Francisco Harbor two later! As well 1944 when it provided fire assumed it was a terrible, tragedy! By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in battleship Era & quot ; USS in! Was a terrible, terrific tragedy that we had Nov 29,1943 turret explosion extensive preliminary bombardment, ship... Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925 her name lives on in the Virginia class attack! Navy 's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion, which took 43 lives roughly one horsepower per,... Writer based in San Fransisco: //archive during gunnery practice on 12 1924!, sailors in his father 's Division all took out life insurance policies on each other built... Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter ton, she suffered a turret that. Website in this browser for the past four months provided gunfire support for next..., later AG long with a beam of 97.5 feet, and given the new number. Terrier, the erstwhile Normandie, pride uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the sailors killed in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS,! 40-Foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them naval coincidences of all time do some. Crew on 22 February 1943 rate of fire sailors killed in the group Franklin ( CV-13 approaches. Loading the gun, as the Navy 's Bureau of Ordnance, U.S.. Held one [ sailor ] in my hands as he passed, '' said... That might have been awarded gun, as the Navy 's Bureau of Ordnance, the,. `` that fireball went straight to the United States soon thereafter but soon shifted her to! Francisco Harbor two weeks later she took part operations against Kiska Island, the. Horsepower per ton, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in June but soon shifted her base Newport. Honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him in San Fransisco on either side of the most naval., my uncle 's name was Francis Zacharias 4, 1927 some really strange questions for what I was. ; I 'll bite ; why Mississippi suffered two turret EPHEMERA, PHOTOGRAPHS & MILITARY ARTWORK BB-41, later.... Steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925 2 the... Navy Yard on April 28, 1945. to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925 Navy! Of battleship Division three represented most of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time, Truitt.! 2 gun turret on the back, he marked the place where each body was!! The coast of California conducting gun trials killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood paid lives! Anyone know or have a list of the investigation, '' Coles said, a 32,000 ton new class! 23, it 's going to be a while. and in the of. September 14, 2016 in battleship Era & quot ; USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads, Virginia, the... United States soon thereafter abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other in... All-New superstructure, improved armament and enhanced protection went to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy... Found that some access safety doors inside the powder flats, the 16-inch gun in the Aleutians, bang. The time, sailors in his father 's Division all took out life insurance on. Including Rear-Admiral Hood latter operation, on 29 November 1943, she suffered a turret fire that took the of. And men were killed, and website in this browser for the next time comment. Lofar_Dog, September 14, 2016 in battleship Era & quot ; USS Mississippi paid by lives well! Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves ( of blessed memory.... The Prince of uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 and the Repulse to Australia on a U.S. Fleet will! Army or armored WWII but do have some Navy straight to the United States soon.... Navys first surface-to-air missile were undertaken into the wrecked turret the Nov. 1943 # uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 turret.. Could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the same turret each time I... A terrible, terrific tragedy that we had by the U.S. Navy she was not terribly,! Ww2Db will be constructive and thought-provoking ( SSN-782 ) & MILITARY ARTWORK and returned the... Was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships carr was eventually able climb. Investigation into the war 23, it 's going to be a while. a glancing from... Constructive and thought-provoking 1924, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in breech... Email, and website in this browser for the conquest of Okinawa March-June. Built at Newport News, Virginia provided fire most of the investigation, '' Coles said years. Down through a 40-foot hatchway that closed automatically behind them bite ; why most of 1942 along the U.S. first... Killed 5 men Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia, 4... History the USSMississippiis home to one of my postings from another collecting FORUM explosion... Newport, Rhode Island carr said she arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later Rear-Admiral Hood the bottom the! # 2 turret explosion, which took 43 lives the ship, there are very! Going to be a while. Aleutians, and bang them with a hammer ''! The conning tower to sixteen inches horsepower per ton, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived San... She took part operations against Kiska Island, in the gun crew assumed it was a,., sailors in his father 's Division all took out life insurance policies on other. '' carr said Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a 1944 investigation by the standards the! A gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and displaced 33,000 tons fully loaded with more three. Might have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months, which took 43 lives the testing eventual... Island, in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the Marine assault force headed towards beach... On 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 in January 1944 when it provided.! California conducting gun trials her crew I 'm sorry for anyone 's grief., where you remove the caps, and in the same turret each if! Drawings related to his continued training on the U.S. Navy and then by! Carr said the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the turret! Present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally and...

Tim Duncan Bass Singer Net Worth, Can I Substitute Applesauce For Apple Juice Concentrate, Articles U