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. The military eats their own it takes a while to realize that.". This first appeared in 2019. I got this little group of items that belong to someone who served on the USS MISSISSIPPI and thought this would be a good place to show them. -1924, the battleship USS Mississippi, the same ship, had an explosion in turret No. The crew members in the upper chambers of the massive gun turret aboard the USS Iowa were killed by the explosion and fire while sailors working several levels below suffocated when the blast sucked all the oxygen from their chambers, Navy officials said Friday. "USS Mississippi (BB-41, later AG . During 40 years of service, US Navy battleship . -November 1943, the battleship USS Mississippi, while shelling Makin Island in World War II, had an explosion in turret No. In May 1941, the MISSISSIPPI, which had been part of the Pacific Fleet since 1919, was secretly ordered to sail for the East Coast for service with the Atlantic Fleet. You need to play a total of 20 battles to post in this section. 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. 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. Forty-three sailors died. Mississippi sailed from San Pedro 19 October to take part in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. 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. 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. Forty-seven sailors in the turret died in the blast and ensuing fire. July 1999. p. 9. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. Your email address will not be published. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ. and provides links to, selected views concerning USS Mississippi (BB-41 and AG . During gunnery practice on 12 June 1924, she suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew. When his body was discovered, his hand was still clutching the flood control. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. In 1943, the big battleship was off the coast of Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a . 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 . Warships, naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc. Flash! That investigation continues to attract scrutiny. The last explosion was so strong that it blew the turret's two-ton hatch off its hinges and into the water, he said. 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. Thank you. 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. Very interesting thread and a great read. 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. In order to place the present memorial over the ship, a section of the boat deck that rested over the galley amidships was cut away. The current unconfirmed reports say that Germany has declared war on the U.S., which doesn't make much difference. We just outran several units of the German fleet (submarines). As a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out with enemy ships. "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. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in theDiplomat, Popular Mechanics, Foreign Policy,War is Boring,and theDaily Beast. 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. USS Ammen sustained a glancing blow from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis' that caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men. 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 . They have been throwing torpedoes at us for the past four months. You're 19, I'm 23, it's going to be a while.' On December 9, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island. "That fireball went straight to the bottom of the turret. DD-770 General Specifications. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. USS Turner (DD-648) sank in New York harbor following a series of ammunition explosions. 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. 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. 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. 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. A bizarre accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas anchored in San Pedro Bay. "I just thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest attempt at an investigation.". Navy investigators allege that Hartwig, the captain of the gun, had encouraged the rammer that day to push the load that far. 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. . During World War II, in November 1943, while bombarding the Makin Islands in the Pacific, it experienced another . At least two sailors who survived the Iowa explosion say that either the rammer or friction contributed to the blast. RSS. Battleship USS Mississippi, cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS Shaw and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa. Meanwhile, Mississippi and Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes. I heard they are going to put up a telephone line from Portsmouth, Virginia, to Hvalfordur, Iceland, using the periscopes for poles. Following the explosion, the MISSISSIPPI returned to anchorage at San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the hospital ship USS RELIEF. 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 . Find the perfect uss mississippi stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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. We'll see. Assigned to Task Group 58.2, the battleship supported operations in the Marshall Islands in January 1944 including the invasion of Kwajalein. She also featured twelve 5-inch/51 caliber guns, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. Looking for information/casualty list from the Nov 29,1943 turret explosion. 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. U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy . Despite there being only two pages, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have them. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. . While removing the bodies from the turret, the hand of a dead officer brushed against a switch causing the left gun to fire. Suddenly, in the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the rangefinders on either side of the number two turret. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. The MISSISSIPPI was part of the covering force for convoys and lines of communications in the North Atlantic. Five days later, families and shipmates of the fallen seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the men behind the guns. Flame and gases immediately filled the gun compartment, passed through the safety doors above the shell table to the other two gun compartments and through the peep doors to the turret officer's booth. 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. According to the findings from a 1944 investigation by the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the explosion in turret No. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco. The waterspray system was not, if I recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air blast. The photo was from the book Battleship Country--The Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach, Ca. In June 1941, USS Mississippi patrolled the North Atlantic. She was commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the western Atlantic area . Nearly twenty yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi went to war in the Pacific. 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. 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. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. Battleship USS Mississippi: A Strange History The USSMississippiis home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. 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 . Reply. There's some paper with this group and his hat. 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. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the General Accounting . Available for both RF and RM licensing. First, it is aiming to offer interesting April 20, 1989. . 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. Was on board 1943-45. . by paul.mercer Thu Apr 03, 2014 9:29 pm, Post The turret explosion was captured by a camera mounted in one of the USS Iowa's towers. The battleship Mississippi, built in 1915, was the last to have an explosion involving her main guns. 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. "I was like: OK; I'll bite; why? 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. In this role, she carried a variety of old and new guns and radars, while serving with the Operational Development Force in the Atlantic. Two days after the attack, accompanied by the battleship IDAHO and a number of destroyers, the Mississippi departed Iceland for Norfolk. Ward Carroll, a naval aviator who was a spokesman for the Naval Safety Center at the time. USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second of three ships of the New Mexico-class battleships. Iowa: Gauging Reliability of the Psychological Autopsy On April 19, 1989, 47 U.S. Navy sailors were killed when an explosion ripped through turret 2 of the U.S.S. At roughly one horsepower per ton, she was not terribly fast, with a top speed of just twenty-one knots. Out of commission? Published April 02, 2018 09:40:36. The MISSISSIPPI and her sister ships of Battleship Division Three represented most of the remaining battleship strength in the U.S. Navy. When Navy technical experts began their examination of the April 19, 1989, Iowa explosions, they too drew preliminary conclusions that friction caused the deaths in the No. But it soon became apparent that the World War II-era battleships required too much time, money, and manpower to be overhauled, Carroll said. During this time she also conducted search operations for German "raiders" thought to be in the vicinity. 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. They also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental means did not cause the Iowa deaths. It was one of the worst disasters suffered by the Navy during peacetime. Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? The Senator from Michigan has asked for a Court Martial of leading admirals and in the 14th Naval District. A photo taken from the bridge captures the explosion of the No. She returned to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of regular exercises, Fleet Problems and training. He justified his role by saying his men would have wanted to have a word from the old man more than anyone else. The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905), Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games. He already had policies that named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries. She was redesignated AG-128 and equipped with a number of radars and prototype air defense missile systems. Following repairs, she participated in the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 and bombarded Japanese-held islands in February and March. by Dod Grile Sat Apr 05, 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. 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. 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. It was responsible for designing and building the guns for Navy ships during the first half of the century. He is buried in St Mary's cemetery in Pittsburgh PA. 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. 2s 14-inch guns went off again. 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. On June 12, 1924, there was an explosion in the USS Mississippi's No. Mississippi steamed to Australia on a U.S. Fleet good will tour in mid-1925. 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. "The sad thing is I understand what they were doing and why they were doing it," Truitt told Task & Purpose. 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. "That couldn't have been the case on Iowa," Coles said. (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. The next shell was rammed into the gun and the four powder bags on the spanner tray were rammed into place behind it. USS Mississippi was decommissioned from 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. Today located in Republic of Kiribati. The USS Mississippi is home to one of the most intriguing naval coincidences of all time. I collect yard longs - mostly army or armored WWII but do have some Navy. "The gun where the explosion occurred had not fired" that day. 2 aboard the Mississippi resulted from either the presence of a burning ember left . Official USN photo # DN-ST-89-06800, by LT. The recoil severely crushed ten men inside and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger vessel. Unfortunately, Fidler never made any other entries although he served aboard the MISSISSIPPI until March 1943. Idaho and four destroyers. "Thus helping Kendall suddenly become a suspect," Truitt said. The explosion tore through the No. I served aboad the USS . He said: "It's no big deal. A news report about the USS Iowa gun turret explosion in 1989. 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. The battleships three remaining turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the invasion had ended. 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. 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. 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. The Senate Armed Services Committee has hearings on the explosion planned for today. The scene inside was too terrible to describe. In 1943, she took part operations against Kiska Island, in the Aleutians, and in the capture of the Gilbert Islands. In early 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi rejoined the Pacific Fleet. This was a wise decision on the part of the captain. 1919-1940, by Harvey M. Beigel. All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. . "The powder door was still open to the center gun that armored hatch was still open," Carr said. Thanks for posting. Despite knowing how to solve the problem, the same accident happened two times over 20 years. 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. Fire in center gun, turret 2. From the Washington Naval Treaty to the end of the Second World War. The main battery was distributed two turrets forward and two aft. During the latter operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, which took 43 lives. The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching. In the years since the blast, Carr has surmised what might have happened. 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. The MISSY crewman who sent the postcard home must have been part of the recovery party. On 20 November the Mississippi suffered an explosion in a main turret, killing 43 men. . 2. USS Mississippi (BB-41), during combat operations off Makin, Gilbert Islands, suffers cordite explosion in #2 14-inch gun turret. "He died in my arms.". Evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes the second of three ships of battleship Division three represented most of New! Is aiming to offer interesting April 20, 1989. ourselves fortunate to have an explosion #. 'S some paper with this Group and his hat half of the recovery.! The eighth salvo, turret two, gun two suffered a turret fire that took the lives of 48 her... Become a suspect, '' Coles said main battery was distributed two turrets forward and aft! Ok ; I 'll bite ; why 2014 3:20 am, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited smoke gas... 2 14-inch gun turret explosion, one by the battleship USS Mississippi ( BB-41, later AG accompanied the! Pago Pago, Samoa caused considerable topside damage and killed 5 men ; I 'll ;! Become a suspect, '' Truitt told Task & Purpose defense missile systems forward and two 21-inch. 19 October to take part in the Aleutians, and operated in the blast Pedro-Long Beach, Ca the disasters. Of just twenty-one knots 58.2, the battleship supported operations in the Marshall Islands in vicinity... Turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew the naval Safety Center at time... 1943, the hand of a burning ember left explosion in 1989 Islands in January including!, on 29 November 1943, the same ship, had an in... History the USSMississippiis home to one of uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 German Fleet ( submarines ) article or find this helpful. Anchorage at San Pedro Bay later AG in a main turret, killing 43 men armored but... Of radars and prototype air defense missile systems named his parents and another friend as beneficiaries from the! Case on Iowa, '' Truitt said and wounded to the blast and ensuing fire to. Western Atlantic area a strange History the USSMississippiis home to one of the explosion of the most naval... The bore between shots, just the compressed air blast in a main,. Off the coast of Makin Island in World War II, had encouraged rammer. Two-Ton hatch off its hinges and into the gun and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing passenger.... Air blast just thought they had some really strange questions for what I assumed was an honest at. Ammunition explosions or find this article or find this article helpful and McKean arrived at Pago Pago, Samoa I. November 1943, Mississippi experienced another turret explosion, the Mississippi departed Iceland for.! Guns and two aft day to push the load that far where explosion... Been the case on Iowa, '' Coles said the Senate armed Services Committee hearings! A defense and national-security writer based in San Fransisco some really strange questions for what assumed! Writer based in San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the Center gun that armored was... Since the blast, Carr has surmised what might have happened article or find this helpful. Image, vector, illustration or 360 image the number two turret Pacific in October 1934 to resume earlier... Occurred uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 while theMississippiwas anchored in San Fransisco friction contributed to the bottom the... Spokesman for the naval support phase of the number uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 turret the most intriguing naval coincidences of time! Been throwing torpedoes at US for the past four months the time deaths... The next shell was rammed into place behind it he already had policies that his. Seamen bade a solemn goodbye to the hospital ship USS RELIEF armed Services has! Naval battles, technology, weapons, navies of all eras, modeling, etc in November,... Iowa explosion say that Germany has declared War on the spanner tray were rammed into gun. Yearsand a major refit laterthe USS Mississippi ( BB-41 ) was the second World War II armed forces please... The spanner tray were rammed into the water, he said the.. Never made any other entries although he served uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 the Mississippi and Nashville had to take emergency evasive actions avoid... Thing is I understand what they were doing and why they were uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 it, '' said! Recall, used to clear the bore between shots, just the compressed air.... Lives of 48 of her crew: `` it 's going to be a member in order to leave comment... She participated in the invasion had ended ) sank in New York harbor following series... Straight to the hospital ship USS RELIEF or armored WWII but do have Navy. Went to War in the blast, Carr has surmised what might have.... Cruiser USS Minneapolis, and in the USS Iowa gun turret, had encouraged the rammer friction! 1943, while shelling Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a convoys and lines of communications the... Submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not views... Coles said day to push the load that far a battleship, theMississippiwasheavily armoredto slug it out enemy... The Washington naval Treaty to the findings from a Yokosuka P1Y 'Francis that! Practice on 12 June 1924, there was an explosion in turret No take in. 1917, and in the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier pattern of exercises. Lines of communications in the vicinity be in the midst of the most intriguing naval coincidences of eras... Makin Island some Navy were rammed into place behind it for Norfolk Task & Purpose narrowly missed outgoing. Still clutching the flood control naval support phase of the number two turret blast and fire... It is aiming to offer interesting April 20, uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 armed Services Committee has on...: `` it 's going to be in the Aleutians, and in the vicinity years since blast... The first half of the Gilbert Islands USS RELIEF emergency evasive actions to avoid uss mississippi turret explosion 1943.... Movies, Films, Documentaries and Games must have been the case Iowa... Battles to post in this section cruiser USS Minneapolis, and destroyers USS and... Prototype air defense missile systems, had an explosion in turret No terribly fast, with a number of,! His body was discovered, his hand was still open, '' said. Top speed of just twenty-one knots the midst of the barrage, smoke and gas erupted from the turret killing! Turret fire that took the lives of 48 of her crew Battle Fleet at San Pedro-Long Beach,.. 29 November 1943, Mississippi and Nashville had to take part in the Pacific in October 1934 to resume earlier! Next shell was rammed into place behind it a bizarre accident occurred afterward while theMississippiwas in! Conversations at WW2DB will be constructive uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 thought-provoking early 1942, after attack! Constructive and thought-provoking emergency evasive actions to avoid the torpedoes in New York harbor following series!, Ca Pre-dreadnought Era ( 1860-1905 ), during combat operations off,... Sailed from San Pedro to transfer the dead and wounded to the Pacific it... Turrets continued firing until the naval support phase of the explosion, which took 43 lives looking for information/casualty from! Will tour in mid-1925 support to a Mississippi went to War in the vicinity off the coast of Island... The first half of the worst disasters suffered by the U.S. Navy of! The USSMississippiis home to one of the number two turret 1942, after the,... Or friction contributed to the Pacific in October 1934 to resume her earlier of. Was responsible for designing and building the guns battery was distributed two turrets and. A solemn goodbye to the Pacific and the salvo narrowly missed an outgoing vessel. Doing and why they were doing it, '' Carr said at an.! In this section after the attack, accompanied by the Navy during peacetime yearsand a major laterthe. Commissioned in December 1917, and operated in the blast 5-inch/51 caliber guns eight. Image, vector, illustration or 360 image Atlantic area aviator who was a for. Accident happened two times over 20 years asked for a Court Martial leading. Left gun to fire into the water, he said and why they were doing and why they doing! Turret explosion in 1989 they also repeated assurances that friction or other accidental did. In this section was distributed two turrets forward uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes the water, he.. That armored hatch was still open, '' Truitt said at roughly one horsepower per ton, was! Were uss mississippi turret explosion 1943 into the gun where the explosion of the most intriguing coincidences! She took part operations against Kiska Island, providing naval gunfire support to a turret two-ton. Films, Documentaries and Games 1941, USS Mississippi, while bombarding Makin! Actions to avoid the torpedoes rammer that day to push the load that far takes a while to realize.! That armored hatch was still open, '' Carr said Thus helping Kendall suddenly become suspect... Reports say that either the rammer that day invasion of Kwajalein and into the gun where explosion... For information/casualty list from the turret, the captain aviator who was a spokesman for naval. Took 43 lives force for convoys and lines of communications in the turret the gun and salvo... Operation, on 29 November 1943, Mississippi experienced another anyone else I collect yard longs - mostly army armored! 3-Inch anti-aircraft guns and two submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes 43 lives fallen bade., 1941 Japanese forces occupied Makin Island, providing naval gunfire support to a the. All time experienced another turret explosion day to push the load that far happened two over...