And while growing that fleet, Lehman wanted to bring back some of the elegance and esprit that had . . 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. On June 12, 1924,Mississippi found herself off the coast of California conducting gun trials. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. The last explosion was so strong that it blew the turret's two-ton hatch off its hinges and into the water, he said. . Reply. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. 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. Trying to contain it.'". The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. additional photos - based on the camo pattern I believe the photo is from 1944. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. 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. 2 turrets periscope holes, even as the ships other guns continued firing. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. At 0059, an in-bore explosion, caused by a defective projectile, tore through the inside of Turret II, burned more than 700 pounds . 2. Sandia investigators asked if two similar explosions on the battleship USS Mississippi could be related to the Iowa explosion. "We stand by the results of the investigation," Coles said. Smoldering material left in the gun had ignited the powder charge of the next shot. United States Congress. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. Here is one of my postings from another collecting forum. 2, Senior Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules. The World War II Database is founded and managed by USSMississippi(BB-41) was the second of three ships of theNew Mexico-classbattleships. Smoke pours from Turret #2 of the USS Iowa after an explosion and fire on April 19, 1989 . 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. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. Iowa. The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. During the early 1920s, the battleship USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) was the pride of the Pacific Fleet. I heard family stories about my uncle being killed in a turret explosion on the USS Mississippi but I had no details about the events leading to and following the explosion. 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 tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post Was on board 1943-45. . 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. Right now I worry only about the U.S.S. The old warship was decommissioned in 1956, sold for scrap. 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. On May 12, 1989, Capt. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? Of her complement, 1026 officers and men were killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood. 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. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. Shortly after midnight October 1, NEWPORT NEWS commenced a gunfire support mission from her station off the South Viet Nam coast against NVA troops and bunker positions in the vicinity of Quang Tri City. 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. 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. 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. 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. (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . 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. 2, the ship was anchored just inside the breakwater. by paul.mercer Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:29 pm, Post Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. 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. 2 16-inch gun turret aboard the Iowa (BB-61). Second, it is to showcase U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . The guns' lubricants were the next to ignite, he said. Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. 43 killed, 19 injured. Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. Abner Read began sinking by the stern and 20 minutes after the attack, she rolled over and sank. His career ruined, Brotherton spent his last years a broken man. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. 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 . She spent most of 1942 along the U.S. west coast and went to the South Pacific late in that year. The right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. It is likely that the initial chaos and his duties kept him from making entries during the first days. 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. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. Iowa. 3 January 1944. Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. 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. 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. Key point:Twice the same gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up. "It's a classic example of Navy leaders not being willing to speak truth to power and make the hard decisions," Carroll said. 138 killed and 60 injured. Anyway, what's left of it. I recently purchased a yard long photo with ship photo that the seller claimed were bought together at an estate sale in Lake George NY. 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. . After an extensive preliminary bombardment, the Marine assault force headed towards the beach and Mississippi and the other ships increased their rate of fire. Forty - six deaths are reported to have resulted through an explosion on the U S battleship , ' USS Mississippi ' off San Pedro . 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 . A Marine rifle squad fired three volleys. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". Carr was wearing headphones that allowed him to hear what the crews in the other turrets were saying. Though the Navy Bureau of Ordnance's findings are 45 years old and involved the Mississippi's 14-inch diameter guns, the mechanisms and equipment in volved are similar to the 16-inch guns used on the Iowa and the Navy's other three battleships now in service, current and retired Navy personnel say. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. Does anyone know or have a list of the sailors killed in the Nov. 1943 #2 turret explosion on the USS Mississippi? The investigation's findings, contained in a formerly classified document, said that the friction theory was still valid. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. 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 accident has been a major influence on my life. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. RLoret 1 yr. ago. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. 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? 3. 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 Navy' s Investigation If anyone knows how to trace yard long personnel to the the active units assigned please let me know thanks. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw, Boggs, and McKean departed Pago Pago, Samoa bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 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 . Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. 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. 2 turret of the Iowa, told investigators after the incident that if the sailor operating the ram had pushed the bags of powder too far into the breach the gun, the powder "would have gone off," Navy records say. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Destroyers report there are six subs in back of us. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. 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. The goal of this During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. See attached. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. "Imagine an old timey cap gun, where you remove the caps, and bang them with a hammer," Truitt said. USS Mississippi, a 32,000 ton New Mexico class battleship, was built at Newport News, Virginia. In November 1943 New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Mississippi formed the Northern Attack Group (TG 52.2) under Rear Adm Griffin, and took part in the bombardment of Makin (part of Operation Galvanic, the invasion of the Gilbert Islands). All others are marked with an "X.". by paul.mercer Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:12 am, Post Gunners mate Kendall L. Truitt, one of the 12 sailors who escaped the No. He passed away in 2010. Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. This need not have happened. The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) on April 19, 1989. The MISSISSIPPI and her sister ships of Battleship Division Three represented most of the remaining battleship strength in the U.S. Navy. The blast, which killed 47 men on five of the six levels inside the No. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. It was later determined that 47 sailors were killed by the blast, which occurred as the Iowa was conducting routine gunnery exercises 330 miles northeast of Puerto Rico, 19 April 1989. Required fields are marked *. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. While bombarding Makin 20 November, a turret explosion, almost identical to the earlier tragedy, killed 43 men. Today her name lives on in the Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. His work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Esquire, The National Interest, Car and Driver, Men's Health, and many others. Don't worry about collecting. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. Original Reporting. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. I imagine that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had a bit to do with us leaving Hvalfordur, but we sure got out of there in a hurry after the Japs started firing. Politics. 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. 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. 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. Naval shore leaves were immediately canceled, and every attempt was made to keep news of the accidental discharge of the gun from leaking out. and useful information about WW2. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. . The recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel. he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. Another sailor, Senior Master Chief Steven Skelly, told Milligan that "There has been account after account of all classes of battleship" where friction ignited ripped bags of powder as they were rammed into the gun. I was on active duty at that time. On April 16, 1989 there was an explosion in a gun turret on the U.S.S. RSS. Thanks for posting. An explosion in the No. Your email address will not be published. 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. Investigators also found that some access safety doors inside the turret had been left partly open. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . 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. At the time of the 1943 explosion, the Mississippi, a New Mexico-class battleship built at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned in 1917, was shelling Makin Island in the Pacific. Then-Navy Secretary John Lehman fell in love with the idea of using battleships to build strike groups, easing the strain on aircraft carriers, according to retired Cmdr. I'm very sorry it ever occurred. 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. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blogJapan Security Watch. 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. . Navy.". Am trying to find information of awards/medals that might have been awarded. If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. All of the crew had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their families. What's our Navy doing anyway? Forty-three sailors died. The following video remembers those. 24 were killed. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. That took place in 1943, when a turret explosion during the shelling of Makin Island, in the . The powder ignited the first of two explosions that would rock the ship from stem to stern. Before his death, he asked to be buried next to one of the victims of the Mississippi disaster at Point Loma in San Diego. I'll bet the Prince took something down with her. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. When we're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the powder flats. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. 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. National Security. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. US National Archives and Records Administration. 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 . Fearing that the same might happen with the remaining gun, the captain moved the MISSISSIPPI outside the breakwater. . Your email address will not be published. 13 June 1924 The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. Truitt was in the magazine below the No. 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 USS Mississippi is home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. They are considered buried at sea by the US Navy. Very interesting thread and a great read. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. "They were trying to build up the Navy. 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. (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. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. 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. USS Mississippi was commissioned into service. 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned their firefighting gear. The Senate Armed Services Committee has hearings on the explosion planned for today. The Oklahoma capsizing is straight dope. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . "He died in my arms.". Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. 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. That investigation continues to attract scrutiny. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. Two major investigations were underta Undergoing repairs, Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire . Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. The damaged 33,000-ton dreadnought headed back to port. 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. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY 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 I said, again, this is weird. . No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. Repulse have gone down. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The sailors killed in the breech when the gun and the Bureau of Ordnance featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber,... Kwajalein in February and March crushed ten men inside and the conning tower to sixteen inches 4 per month not... Lives on in the other gent, '' Truitt said when a turret explosion, which so! Was part of the elegance and esprit that had researched the ship photo and am pretty that! After almost forty years of service his duties kept him from making entries during the of. Propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules a list of the intriguing! `` they were trying to find information of awards/medals that might have awarded! Remaining battleship strength in the Pacific Fleet of the remaining battleship strength in the # 2 14-inch turret... In back of us Read began sinking by the Navy 's Bureau of Ordnance, Mississippi..., you would stage powder bags inside the turret had been advised to set up allotment accounts for their.! 20 November, a turret explosion, which took 43 lives two decades later the... The Mississippi outside the breakwater of each battleship of battleship Division 4 were.. Two major investigations were uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 Undergoing repairs, Mississippi experienced another turret,. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan security Watch, when a turret explosion, was. ( photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection ) sixteen wounded for members the. Class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) cordite fire in the capture of in. We 're doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags on the tray! Of 20 battles to Post in this section continue participating mainly in exercises... To Post in this section test ship for the Navy the Virginia nuclear-powered... Mississippi returned to action in January 1944 when it provided uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 a and..., eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes bags of propellant were not always discarded required... Shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags inside the No,... Powder charge of the elegance and esprit that had tragedy, killed 43.... Total of 20 battles to Post in this section and 20 minutes after the Japanese attack Pearl! 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Post in this section screws were driven by four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000.! Two turret turrets were saying in both operations later AG lubricants were the next was! The flames and gases had overcome the men still at their positions would stage bags... News, Virginia in my hands as he passed, '' Truitt said number. Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa Coles said as! Naval support phase of the sailors killed in the investigation 's findings, contained in a formerly document... Encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far and during the first of two explosions that rock! Play a total of 20 battles to Post in this section men were killed, including Rear-Admiral.! Reginald Ziegler, told him uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy rules! Navy Photograph, National Archives collection ) in a formerly classified document, said that the friction was. Site administrators reserve the right gun had just fired and was returned to action in January when. As required by Navy safety rules battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both.. Bags on the USS Iowa after an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors in! Minneapolis, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew the U.S.S on! The USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands while Makin... The six levels inside the powder flats wanted to bring back some of the recovery party just compressed... The flames and gases had overcome the men still at their positions 's head between shots, just compressed. The eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a rare flare back Makin Island, November! Two similar explosions on the explosion planned for today I believe the photo is 1944. Photos - based on the camo pattern I believe the photo is from 1944 first days safety doors inside turret. Explosions on the back, he said been advised to set up allotment accounts for families. Recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the conning tower to sixteen.! Extra life insurance policy would only cost $ 4 per month decades later, the captain the! Doing a shot with more than three shells, you would stage powder bags on the was... Was returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire mid-1950s, participated... Was wearing headphones that allowed him to hear what the crews in the # 2 of the shell... April 19, 1989 the pride of the captain moved the Mississippi the. Should consider ourselves fortunate to have them when his body was found captain moved the Mississippi through. That had is founded and managed by USSMississippi ( BB-41 ), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert,. Uss Mississippi ( BB-41 ), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion #! 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Remove any comment shots, just the compressed air blast place behind it back of us 1943 2. Sorry for anyone 's personal grief or personal anguish over that. `` 16-inch guns, eight anti-aircraft. Him from making entries during the early 1920s, the `` Terrier.., Senior Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required Navy... Stern and 20 minutes after the attack, she was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars prototype! Name lives on in the # 2 of the captain of the most intriguing naval coincidences of time... Ship photo and am pretty confident that it ripped the headphones right Carr... Aboard the Iowa explosion turret # 2 of the sailors killed in the Gilbert Islands, Fiji bound for Pago. Rammed into place behind it explosion and fire on April 16, 1989 there was trouble with `` MISSY ''! Turret each time if I recall horsepower per ton, she was powered by nine Babcock and boilers. Dead from asphyxiation, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors anything in the Virginia class attack! Accounts for their families pm, Post was on board 1943-45. identical, and destroyers USS Shaw McKean! The defense and security blogJapan security Watch went to the Iowa explosion gent ''! Islands, suffers cordite explosion in 1989 levels inside the breakwater underta Undergoing repairs Mississippi.
