marco@ncsc.navy.mil (Barbarisi) (04/22/89)
From: marco@ncsc.navy.mil (Barbarisi) There is one minor addition (that I know of) to Roger Levasseur's interesting list of gun turret accidents: the fatal explosion that occurred in one of the twin 5 inch AA guns on the USS Alabama in late WWII. I think about 7 men were killed - they were the only combat related fatalities that occurred on the Alabama. Ammunition apparently exploded during handling. The turret is still mounted on the ship, which can be seen on display in Mobile Bay, Mobile, Alabama. Other turrets, including the 16 inchers, can be explored. The only exit from a 16 inch gun is through a small circular hatch at the base of the aft section of the turret. Inside, there are pipes and machinery and equipment everywhere: you must climb over stuff to get in and out. If you're over 5'7" tall (1.7m), you can't stand up anywhere. It is a hazardous place when everything is turned off and you're in there alone. It must be like Charlie Chaplin's claustrophobic industrial hell in there with 47 people and moving and hissing machinery. How can 47 people _fit_ in there? To make a short story long, it's not surprising that all hands were lost in the explosion. [mod.note: That number seems high to me, too. I can't find specifics for the Iowa's turrets; the closest I can come are the British 16"/45 triple turrets mounted on Rodney and Nelson. In _The Big Gun_ (1981, Naval Inst. Press), Peter Hodges lists the gun crew for that turret as: Gunhouse: 1 Turret Captain 3 gun crews, 3 men each (Captain of gun, operating rammer, etc; one man to check electic firing circuit and operate air blast; one man to operate shell/powder hoist) 2 Range takers 5 other men, including telephone operator, layer, trainer,... That's 17 in the gunhouse; 7 more can be added for "Quarters firing" (meaning, I'm guessing, either practice firing or firing without central control from the Fire Control Station) 12 more men in the shell-handling room, belowdecks (on the Shell magazine deck, in the turret rotating structure) 25 men in the shell room (outside the turret structure) 16 men in the powder-handling room (in the turret structure, on the powder magazine deck) 25 men in the powder magazine (outside the turret structure). Total turret crew is therefore 105-112. Had the Iowa's explosion reached the powder magazine, or even the handling room, the effect would have been devastating; therefore, we can discount the 41 men there. Likewise, the shell magazine would not likely have been reached. I still can't see more than about 36 men in vulnerable areas (and I have difficulty believing that the shell-handling room was affected). I simply can't understand how so many were killed by the blast. I'd appreciate any further information in this area... - Bill ] BTW, the battleship memorial in Mobile is a great place to visit for all you war-buffs. You can tour most of the interior of the Alabama, the submarine USS Drum, and see vintage aircraft (including a B-52), armor, and guns. Has a nice rose garden too. Marco Barbarisi ------------------------- marco@ncsc.navy.mil Naval Coastal Systems Center
smb@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Steven M. Bellovin) (04/24/89)
From: smb@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Steven M. Bellovin) In article <5827@cbnews.ATT.COM>, marco@ncsc.navy.mil (Barbarisi) writes: > ... I simply can't understand > how so many were killed by the blast. There is a news report that many of the men were killed by smoke and lack of oxygen, not by the direct effects of the fire and blast.
rupp@cod.nosc.mil (William L. Rupp) (04/25/89)
From: rupp@cod.nosc.mil (William L. Rupp) --- I recall visiting the U.S.S. Los Angeles, a Baltimore class heavy cruiser, in Los Angeles harbor in 1951. She had just been taken out of mothballs and was soon to sail for Korea. My fellow Cub Scouts and I got to tour the ship and were allowed to stick our heads into an 8" gun turret. It was *very* crowded and *very* dark in there; I remember there being only faint red lighting, as in a photographic dark room. One would not want to have to get out of such a turret in a hurry. Bill -------------------- Four more days to go --------------------