Brotherton knew something was drastically wrong when he noticed brownish smoke coming from the No. Because there were still unfired rounds in the other two guns of Turret No. "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. Editorial Guidelines and Publishing Standards. "This is essentially what happened. "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. Photo courtesy of Irv Jacobs via Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). "We did not accuse Kendall Truitt of anything in the investigation or the other gent," Kelso said. 2 16-inch gun turret aboard the Iowa (BB-61). H.M.S. "Dec. 10. Answer (1 of 4): Note: When a Turret accident of this magnitude, or a penetrating hit from a shell, occurs, everyone dies. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was a New Mexico-class battleship that entered service in 1917 and saw service during World War II. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. Your uncle is the last named MISSISSIPPI sailor. 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 . On April 19, 1989, the day of the blast, the ship was preparing for live-fire training at Vieques, Puerto Rico Naval Training Range. 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. Capt. 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. . 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 Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. 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. 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. USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG-128), 1917-1956, DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: 20 Years Later, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. At the time of her commissioning in 1943, the USS Iowa was one of the world's most formidable war machines. 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 . Meanwhile, Mississippi and Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes. Forty-eight men died of asphyxiation as a result of the explosion. He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. She was present in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, when Japan formally surrendered and returned to the United States soon thereafter. Find the perfect uss mississippi stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. The flames and gases had overcome the men so quickly that recovery crews found many of the men still at their positions. 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. Another sailor, David Smith, claimed that Navy investigators had coerced him into telling them Hartwig propositioned him and discussed how to use a bomb's timer, the Washington Post reported in September 1989. The tombstone inscription reads "Francis J. Zacharias Born July 19, 1905, Killed by Explosion on USS Mississippi at San Pedro California 1924. On the back, he marked the place where each body was found! 3. 24 were killed. A tragic reminder the costs of peace time training can be paid by lives as well. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. 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. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. The ships were simulating a chase, firing only their forward turrets at close range. Another 2700 sailors observed the services. On May 12, 1989, Capt. Here's the explanation: http://archive . The battleship was damaged by suicide planes in both operations. Was on board 1943-45. . 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. It's easy! Decommissioned in September 1956, USS Mississippi was sold for scrapping in November of that year, after almost forty years of service. 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. 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. 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. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. By lofar_dog, September 14, 2016 in Battleship Era You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. (Photo: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives collection) . 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. Abner Read jettisoned her torpedoes which immediately began their runs toward other ships in the group. Mississippiwas a heavily armed battleship by the standards of the day. 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. The General Accounting Office and both House and Senate armed services committees are reviewing the Navy's investigation. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives . For example, Hartwig had not been responsible for loading the gun, as the Navy initially claimed. 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. 2 turret as Carr and other sailors donned their firefighting gear. Even before the sailors caskets could be shipped to their hometowns, the court of inquiry was underway. Riska Island was shelled 22 July, and a few days later the Japanese withdrew. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. No names were provided so can not verify but I researched the ship photo and am pretty confident that it is the USS Mississippi. 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. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. The Iowa was commissioned in 1943. 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. 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. --another violation of regulations. Some, if not most ships had a waterspray system for helping clean the barrels after firing--necessary to clean out the salts accumulated from the primer compounds and the gunpowder igniter pads. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. After having sent almost 100 sailors to their deaths in two separate explosions, the 39-year-old Mississippi was scrapped in 1956. The recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel. 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. "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! siege1863, Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean departed Suva, Fiji bound for Pago Pago, Samoa. 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 . by tommy303 Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:30 pm, Post While at Navy Federal, bankers told Hartwig that buying an extra life insurance policy would only cost $4 per month. It's been 30 years since an explosion inside the number two gun turret on the USSIowakilled 47 American sailors, but for Mike Carr, it still feels like yesterday. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. The residue from the smokeless propellant had to be removed chemically. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. US National Archives and Records Administration. Please refrain from using strong language. "They were trying to build up the Navy. Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. Two hundred sailors of each battleship of Battleship Division 4 were present. 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. . A Marine rifle squad fired three volleys. By 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. "I held one [sailor] in my hands as he passed," Carr said. 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 . Assigned to USS IOWA Commissioning Crew on 22 February 1943. Borders Makin Lagoon (Butaritari Lagoon). 2s 14-inch guns went off again. 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. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. April 20, 1989. Mississippi sustained a turret explosion that killed 43 people. Two major investigations were underta A bizarre accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay. 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. The hand of a dead crewman in the number two turret accidentally hit the firing switch for the port gun, firing it. Francis Zacharias was only 16 when he enlisted and used his older brother's birth certificate without his parent's knowledge. I met my life-long friend Dave Welch, got to experience Fleet Week in NYC, and lived through the turret 2 explosion. Right now I worry only about the U.S.S. Mississippiwas instrumental in the testing and eventual fielding of theConvair RIM-2 Terrier, the U.S. Navys first surface-to-air missile. On June 12, 1924, the MISSISSIPPI, along with the battleships TENNESSEE and IOWA, was engaged in gunnery practice off San Clemente Island. Several salvos were fired by each ship, but then there was trouble with "Missy's" number two turret. RSS. TheIowasubsequently went to the shipyard so its power plant could be improved, but its gun systems weren't updated, he said. Fortunately for him and his crew, his ship was anchored at Hvalfordur on the fateful morning of December 7, 1941. Aboard the Iowa ( BB-61 ) of service services committees are reviewing the 's... 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