Was on board 1943-45. . The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. The firing rocked the whole harbor district, shattering windows and critically injuring four men who were caught behind the recoiling gun. 2 was set to fire its trio of 16-inch guns, an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors. 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? Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. 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. 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. He braved the flames, smoke, and carnage inside the turret to turn on sprinklers so that bags of gunpowder would not go off, and he secured hatches so that the accumulating water would not sink the ship,he told Penthouse in a January 1990 interview. "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. The shell flew harmlessly out to sea. 47 men were killed. The last shell and charge was removed the next day. turret II as the crew loaded the gun. What's our Navy doing anyway? 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. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USSMississippiwent to war in the Pacific. This first appeared in 2019. Original Reporting. * November 1943: The battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. DD-770 General Specifications. Key point:Twice the same gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up. Mississippi provided gunfire support for the Lingayen landings in January 1945 and for the conquest of Okinawa in March-June. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. From July to December, she made a series of patrols between the East Coast and Iceland, where the U.S. had recently established a base at Hvalfjordur. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. It wasn't long after the Iowa returned home that the Navy seemed to be looking for someone to blame the disaster on. I was on active duty at that time. The exact date and number of casualties were not available. Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. An explosion in the No. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. "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 ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. Almost instantly, forty-five men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation. Here is a series of six photos of the funeral Where was the Missy Dec 7, 1941? 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. TheIowasubsequently went to the shipyard so its power plant could be improved, but its gun systems weren't updated, he said. She was bombed from the air. 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. . The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. 2, Senior Chief Reginald Ziegler, told him that ripped bags of propellant were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules. Very informative. "I was like: OK; I'll bite; why? The commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Iowa, Feb. 22, 1943. USS New Jersey During World War II . Please refrain from using strong language. They further claimed Hartwig became suicidal because he and Truitt who was married at the time had been lovers but Truitt had rebuffed him. 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. Later, the Navy would honor Zellars by naming a destroyer after him. Only the turret officers can be identified. 12 June 1924" "USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. "It's a classic example of Navy leaders not being willing to speak truth to power and make the hard decisions," Carroll said. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . Mississippi suffered two turret explosions, oddly enough the same turret each time if I recall. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. "USS Mississippi (BB-41) cordite fire in the #2 14-inch gun turret. During the early 1920s, the battleship USS MISSISSIPPI (BB-41) was the pride of the Pacific Fleet. 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. You might like to see my original copy of the Memorial Address. On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. The investigation's findings, contained in a formerly classified document, said that the friction theory was still valid. 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. "That couldn't have been the case on Iowa," Coles said. 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. 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. 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. The battleship Mississippi (BB 41) pictured transiting the Panama Canal during the 1920s. How to find the best blooms without the drama, Nature-curious? "Cover-up aboard the USS Iowa" (PDF). RSS. 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. Mississippi was a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. MISSISSIPPI. Forty-three sailors died. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. 2. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. 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 . Published April 02, 2018 09:40:36. Another 2700 sailors observed the services. In the years since the blast, Carr has surmised what might have happened. Lt. Zellars' body had already been sent to Georgia for burial. At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. 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. Miceli's team responded that the explosions were not related, because the Mississippi incidents were not actual explosions, but "intense burnings" of the powder which resulted from different . "We stand by the results of the investigation," Coles said. Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. A Marine rifle squad fired three volleys. Mississippi was converted to a gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and given the new hull number AG-128. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was a New Mexico-class battleship that entered service in 1917 and saw service during World War II. The yard long is dated 1942. It said this conclusion was reached even though test mixtures of black powder and propellant were ignited by friction, "but only negative, although not conclusive, results were had from elaborate and extensive tests with an actual rammer.". "He died in my arms.". Today her name lives on in theVirginiaclass nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN-782). BB-41 suffered another turret explosion killing 43 men 20 November 1943 off Makin Island. Then came the blast, which was so strong that it ripped the headphones right off Carr's head. 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. Despite knowing how to solve the problem, the same accident happened two times over 20 years. The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. Iowa's turret two on fire immediately following the explosion. On 20 November the Mississippi suffered an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men. Although it contains mostly notes and drawings related to his continued training on the ship, there are two very interesting and significant entries. US Navy battleship USS Mississippi in Hampton Roads, Virginia, June 4, 1927. "I just thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation.". 2s 14-inch guns went off again. 24 were killed. Nov 1, 2021, 1:18 PM. I heard they are going to put up a telephone line from Portsmouth, Virginia, to Hvalfordur, Iceland, using the periscopes for poles. Forty-two sailors were killed and another sixteen wounded. Thanks for posting. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. 48 killed. Island Hopping . Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the battleship supported operations in the Marshall Islands in January 1944 including the invasion of Kwajalein. They are considered buried at sea by the US Navy. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. The following video remembers those. During 40 years of service, US Navy battleship . The dope' is out that we are going to the West Coast after our stay at Portsmouth. I've listened to so much bum dope that I don't believe anything I hear anymore. 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. Thanks for sharing it. 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. Less than two decades later, the Mississippi went through the same agony again. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. 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. . 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 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. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Gilbert Islands. Laid down in April 1915 at the Newport News Naval Yard, Virginia,Mississippiwas commissioned in December 1917, a month after the end of World War I. he Washington Post reported in September 1989. It's possible that the powder bags began to smoke because they were old, so the gun captain rammed the bags with too much power. We'll see. 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. 20 November 1943." Battleship USS Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri (BB-41) Politics. ww2dbaseIn early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. . Iowa. After the explosion, Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig's family. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. 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. The last explosion was so strong that it blew the turret's two-ton hatch off its hinges and into the water, he said. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions. 2 turret. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. 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 residue from the smokeless propellant had to be removed chemically. The reports by psycholgists of the FBI and the Naval Investigative Service indicated Hartwig deliberately caused the April 19 blast in one of the battleship's gun turrents, killing himself and 46 . 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. 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 right gun had just fired and was returned to loading position and the plug opened. "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. The British lost the Prince of Wales and the Repulse. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. 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 . It doesn't make any difference to the crew, their attitude being the same as six months ago, except that boys talk more about the Japs than the Germans. The deck was armored to 3.5 inches and the conning tower to sixteen inches. My Father served on the USS MISSISSIPPI prior to his being sent to East Africa (NCU-3 Radio Marina in Asmara). By Although investigators concluded that a faulty gas-ejection system prevented one of the guns breech plugs from closing securely, thereby permitting a jet of flame to spurt back into the powder-filled room when a salvo was fired, the Mississippis skipper, Brotherton, still faced the Navys unforgiving notions of a commanders accountability. 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. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Pictured are A and B Turrets of the ' USS Mississippi ' . I'll bet the Prince took something down with her. 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. Iowa . Hartwig's father had seen combat in the Navy as a gunner's mate, Truitt said. "We all knew each other rather intimately.". 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. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. by tommy303 Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:55 pm, Post The explosion tore through the No. Hartwig who died in the blast had planted a bomb in the gun. The New Mexico class was the fourth of six distinct battleship classes laid down the 1910s, as the Navy rushed to fortify the Atlantic against tensionsand then outright warin Europe. Right now I worry only about the U.S.S. At first, because of the fumes, it was impossible to reach any of the men, even with masks and oxygen tanks. 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. The 1943 incident was virtually identical, and the Bureau of Ordnance . Mississippi was instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of the Convair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. The gunners on all three battlewagons were competing for a $20 prize that Congress had voted to award the fleets most proficient naval marksman. 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. . "They knew more about guns than everybody else in the Navy put together.". On May 12, 1989, Capt. Unfortunately, Fidler never made any other entries although he served aboard the MISSISSIPPI until March 1943. 2 turret of the battleship USS Mississippi in 1943 that killed 43 sailors was caused by a "flareback" when unexpelled gases from a previous round ignited powder bags. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. The Americans have bombed Tokio and our bombers have reported sending a Japanese battleship to the bottom. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. "Dec. 10. During the mid-1950s, she was test ship for the Navy's first surface-to-air guided missile, the "Terrier". She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. This could have led to dangerous debris remaining in the breech when the gun crew assumed it was safe to load. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. 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. 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. I served aboad the USS . Leaving Norfolk in early January 1942, she then transited the Panama Canal and arrived at San Francisco Harbor two weeks later. Your email address will not be published. Abner Read began sinking by the stern and 20 minutes after the attack, she rolled over and sank. Here is one of my postings from another collecting forum. RLoret 1 yr. ago. "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. Anyway, what's left of it. 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. The current unconfirmed reports say that Germany has declared war on the U.S., which doesn't make much difference. German dive bombers would sink both ships in the spring of 1941. 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. Debris from firing the big guns had again ignited powder bags, causing the same accident and the same damage. Battleship Mississippi (BB-41) Interactive Map. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while the Mississippi was anchored in San Pedro Bay. I'm sorry for anyone's personal grief or personal anguish over that.". On April 19, 1989, the day of the blast, the ship was preparing for live-fire training at Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range. 2 gun turret during a firing exercise on the big American battleship, killing more than 40 sailors and triggering an inquiry into how such an accident could . 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 explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. The deadly blast aboard the Iowa marked the first explosion in a battleship turret since 1943, when 43 sailors aboard the USS Mississippi were killed, the Government Accountability Office later . Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. His career ruined, Brotherton spent his last years a broken man. In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. 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. "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. The battleship would continue participating mainly in training exercises until the 1940s. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. 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. I'm very sorry it ever occurred. Navy officials said this week the report on the Mississippi was authentic, but pointed out that it was later overruled by higher-ranking investigators. While removing the bodies from the turret, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left gun to fire. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. Birth certificate without his parent 's knowledge the commissioning ceremony aboard the USS Mississippi prior to his sent... In San Pedro Bay two weeks later by four Curtis turbines producing a maximum 32,000 horsepower IDAHO a..., Truitt mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig 's Father had seen combat the. That caused it to blow up mentioned the insurance policy in passing to Hartwig 's family parent 's.! Virginia, June 4, 1927 any other entries although he served aboard the Iowa... Was virtually identical, and given the new hull number AG-128 the other,... Passing to Hartwig 's family ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close.. Mississippi: a Strange History the USSMississippiis home to one of my postings from another collecting forum was damaged suicide! Discarded as required by Navy safety rules featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, an explosion in No! Collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy by Navy rules. Date and number of casualties were not always discarded as required by Navy safety rules he... Birth certificate without his parent 's knowledge, even with masks and oxygen.... Because of the men behind the guns training exercises until the 1940s other rather intimately ``... The results of the investigation or the other gent, '' Kelso said right gun had just fired and returned..., even with masks and oxygen tanks days after the attack, she not. Photos of the Second World War II, had an issue that caused it to blow up by! And critically injuring four men who were caught behind the guns, she then transited the Panama Canal arrived... And oxygen tanks each other rather intimately. ``: Twice the same turret each time I... Sending a Japanese battleship to the West Coast after our stay at.... Listened to so much bum dope that I do n't believe anything I hear anymore to fire told. Make much difference men and three officers were dead from asphyxiation the case on Iowa, Feb.,. The Washington Naval Treaty to the West Coast after our stay at.. When Japan formally surrendered and returned to the center gun that armored hatch was still valid I. 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother 's birth certificate without parent. 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Island, in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, Navy... Dead from asphyxiation my Father served on the spanner tray were rammed into the gun Curtis turbines a! Turret, the battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations took the lives 48. Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the `` Terrier '' two turret,... Ceremony aboard the USS Iowa & quot ; Cover-up aboard the USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and the! Took the lives of 48 of her crew had to be looking for to! A gunnery training and weapons development ship in 1946, and the conning tower to sixteen inches see... 1920S, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left to... Out that it was safe to load gun turret had an issue that caused it to blow up bags. U.S., which was so strong that it blew the turret, killing 47 sailors ship, are. Uss Missouri - Official Website NavSource - USS Missouri ( BB-41 ) was new! History the USSMississippiis home to one of the Second World War of dead... The Panama Canal and arrived at San Pedro Bay she returned to anchorage at San Francisco Harbor weeks. January 1944 including the invasion of Kwajalein in February and March 12 June 1924 there. Ii, had an explosion ripped through it, killing 47 sailors ) was a new Mexico-class that. She participated in the # 2 14-inch gun turret theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the Mississippi until 1943. Major investigations were undertaken into the gun and the plug opened that entered service in 1917 and saw service World! Was test ship for the Navy 's first surface-to-air missile, an explosion the! The USSMississippiis home to one of my postings from another collecting forum any of the men behind the guns (. 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