Explosion of USS Mount Hood, November 10, 1944
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- The ammunition ship USS Mount Hood was responsible for supplying ammunition to hundreds of ships from the United States Third Fleet in Seeadler Harbor. On November 10, 1944, something went terribly wrong. The History Guy tells a forgotten story that reminds us even the sailors on support vessels risked their lives in the World War II effort.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Script by THG
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My uncle, Arthur, died on the USS Mount Hood that fateful morning. He had just turned 18 and this was likely his first assignment. Thank you for presenting your research on this event in our nation's history!
You and your Family may be rightly Proud of your Gallant young Uncle for his unselfish service of our country in her time of need .
May his Memory be eternal in the hearts and minds of All of us 🏅🇺🇸
Agree - another good video from THG and thanks for your uncle for his hard work in WW2 and giving his life to USa and their allies in winning war against the 3 evil Axis forces
My Grandfather was on its sister ship the uss firedrake another ammo ship. He was the radioman and said they never wore lifejackets because one explosion and it would be over
My sincere condolences to you and your uncle,a life just beginning at 18 looking forward to serving,getting out,going to college,getting married ,a job and having kids.i pray you'll meet again in heaven and hug one another when all our time here on earth is over.🙏😇
My uncle helped build, and served on the USS Hood. He welded the steel decking plates.
I must say, deliberately NOT finding scapegoats among those who could no longer defend themselves was a radically different approach to the one authorities usually take.
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There was no evidence that could locate the initial explosion.
Your comment is spot on!!!🙏😢🛳️❣️
I met one of the survivors of the USS
Mount Hood while out shopping a year and a half ago. He was wearing a baseball cap marked USS MOUNT HOOD, a ship's name which nudged my memory and so l politely asked if that ship was one the ammunition transports.
He said yes, explained he was ashore to retrieve the mail when his ship exploded, vanishing. He recounted the number of shipmates lost, the fellow sailors lost from other ships and the long years before the loss of the MOUNT HOOD was more commonly known. He spoke sadly of his shipmates.
The rest of the day I spent in somber reflection amazed.
Lynn Wood
I am guessing he wears that baseball cap as a type of memorial, with more than a little conversation starter, educator, minister and advocate for the dead thrown in to the cause. God bless that man - and his cause, as well as the missing in action, dead, wounded, traumatized as well as the families and friends of the same. I sometimes have wondered if the tears of strangers to the event help those that were hurt to heal. I hope so. I put a few more in to the cause on this video, and your post.
What a lovely comment. I love this channel
I love meeting people like that. I met a submarine crew member that was on a submarine at the Cuban Missile crisis showdown at sea, a few years ago. Similar sort of random also because of his hat.
This was few years back, but my stepfather was in our local Kroger where he saw an old man wearing a USS Indianapolis cap. My stepfather asked the man if he was, in fact, on the Indy. The man replied with an odd glint in his eye, "Yes sir, I learned to swim aboard the Indianapolis."
@@EdwardCBurton
Dear Lord! May they never be forgotten!
24 year Navy career and first time hearing of this. You Sir, embody everything good regarding history and our treatment of it. Very well done.
USS John Burke too
Thanks for this bit of history. My Dad was there, on the USS Piedmont, AD-17. He was climbing a ladder topside when the shockwave hit him. The force threw him off the ladder and on to the deck. He watched the watch he was wearing, a gift from my Mom, get torn off his wrist and slide across the deck and over the side into the water. One of the aerial bombs that penetrated the deck landed in a bunk. It sat there smoldering, it was so hot. A 250# bomb then had a 250# net explosive force, but weighed much less than 250#s, I'd have to look up the exact weight. Another sailor, whom Dad knew, picked up the bomb out of the bunk and manhandled it topsides and let it roll out of his arms into the water. The hot bomb took the man's chest skin and the skin from his arms with it when it went over the side. Dad was injured but not readily noticable (turned out he tore muscles in his abdomen and in the late 40's had surgery in the VA hospital to repair the damage from that day), but did continue to serve on the Piedmont through the end of the war and with the occupation force until April 1946. He was near the Missouri during the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. I used to sit with Dad for hours as a young boy, pouring over the hundreds of photos he took and brought home. Dad would tell me what was going on in many of the photos, but some he skipped over. When I was an adult and he was up in years he related more stories, some regarding the skipped photos. Some were of the Mt. Hood explosion. One shows a large vessel, the Piedmont, about to be engulfed in an enormous cloud of smoke reaching out of the photo. That smoke was the Mt. Hood explosion. One of Dad's jobs was as a photographer and he worked in the photo lab developing pictures that others took. He primarily was a tool and die maker, working in the ships machine shop ( The Piedmont was a destroyer tender- repair ship), but was also damage control and photographer. Not all ships had photo labs so many of the photos he has he developed but didn't actually take himself. That's how he got the photo mentioned above. He also brought back many photos of the surrender ceremony that I have never seen on the internet or in books. I plan one day to publish a book or maybe a TH-cam channel featuring Dad's experiences in WWII with the USN onboard the Piedmont so his experiences and photos don't become "Forgotten History". Thanks again for the excellent video. Forgive the typos, I have big fingers and a tiny cellphone 😁
That would be terrific!!! I have a lot of photos and old 8mm movies from my father, who had just recently joined and was on California at Pearl Harbor, and was in every Pacific campaign. Hoping to make them a public collection some day...
@@wheels-n-tires1846 yes please do a youtube channel. All photos and film from that era need to be preserved.
@@laserbeam002 absolutely agree!!! It wont be any time real soon, but it will happen!!!👍👍
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Rich, please do publish a book. A channel here is ok, but a book, I could spend time with.
Thank you, Lance, for this superb report of a tragedy that I grew up hearing about many times in the 1950s... but not, of course, in such detail. My dad witnessed the explosion and was part of the rescue effort. He was a gunner's mate on the Yard Minesweeper YMS-48, which was at anchor about three miles from the Mount Hood that day. He was on deck working on his bow gun, a 3"x48 breech-loaded type.Not long after the first flash, he saw the vapor wall from the immense explosion coming towards his ship, and knew what was coming. He lay down flat and held onto something solid, but the concussion was powerful enough, even at that distance, to rock his ship pretty dramatically.
There are three examples of the YMS types at 12:06 on your video... 136 feet long, all-wood construction with a hull of heavy, diagonally-overlapping mahogany planks.
No one aboard his ship was injured, nor was there much damage to the ship. He remembered seeing pieces of the Mount Hood that looked to be at least the size of cars thrown up and out from the explosions for hundreds of yards , and saw the terrible damage done to more nearby ships in the hours and days afterwards. And then the carnage...
Dad told me that is was one of the two most powerful memories of his war, and he could recall them for the rest of his life like they happened a week ago. The other was the sinking of his own ship off Corregidor Island on Valentine's Day, 1945, while sweeping for mines ahead of the fleet following them into Manila Bay. He lost his closest friend and several shipmates that day.
Thank you, again, for this. You have filled in many blanks that I have wondered about for decades. 🇺🇸
I painted LCM’s and LCU’s at the US Army Marine Maintainance Division at Naha port in Okinawa for a couple of summers in the early 70’s. Yes, I worked for the army starting at age 14 and didn’t even have a badge or security clearance. $1.65 an hour, hard work and high heat and humidity. I would wonder about the men who served on those boats. Another insightful video.
We had the LCM-8 on our Prepositioned Ships. I maintained those too. Also powered and none powered causeways. Navy Literage. Had to start then up every month. I've been to Okinawa several times on the MPS ships. We pulled once into White Beach, another time in Red Beach. Been to Naha and Kadena. BC street. Those are great boats. Good old U.S. enginuity.
I was an Army brat kid on Okinawa in the early 1950s, age 11-13. School was the old Kubasaki, in quonset huts. We lived in Sukaran housing. My dad used to drive us to Naha and to the recreation area at Okuma. I never had a job, but boy I had fun roaming around with my buddies.
Amphib Aav, I would liked to have gone out on some of the boats we worked on, but got out on others from Naha. Would hit other islands like Zamami or Ie Shima where Ernie Pyle was killed. Spent a lot of time at many beaches white beach included, but did a lot of snorkeling off of Makiminato service area. That was the best coral reef I have ever seen or swam. I worked at Kadena base ex starting junior year at Kadena so new the Koza clubs well. What a time.
Axgoodofdunemaul, WOW, you went to Kubasaki in the 50’s! I graduated from there in ‘78. Different island back then. Different now I gather. I have many fond memories of that 5 year period. Not so fond memories, also. Still I don’t know that I would change anything if I could.
My Uncle was serving on a supply ship in the harbor that had the ice cream making machine on it. He had just returned from delivering ice cream to the Mount Hood and had just stepped back on the deck of his ship when the Mount Hood exploded! It tossed him 10 feet across the deck, wrenched his back and blew out his ear drums. He always talked about how God had protected him and never missed Mass after that day. Sorry don't remember the name of his ship. I just remember him telling me the story. After I told him I was joining the Navy. He always thought of those men he had joked with on the ship not knowing they were all doomed less than a half hour later.
Thank you History Guy. My brother, in the Coast Guard, died in a similar explosion in the Solomons in January, 1945 on the USS Serpens. A supply ship, carrying everything from TP to ammo on various trips, throughout the war. I was named after him, five years later.
I'm sure you know this, but there's a monument in Arlington National Cemetery with his name on it. And this website list his name as well: www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/USS-Serpens (I hope you don't mind me putting this here. It's mainly for the edification of others reading these comments.)
@@rbeard7580 Thank you. I do have a photo from the dedication in the late '40s.
My father was a Sea Bee stationed on Manus Island when the Hood blew up. He too was knocked off his feet by the concussion from the blast. RIP Dad your boy Tony.
History Guy should come out with a calender posting forgotten history or maybe an app where we could get daily reminders of forgotten history on that day.
Ollie Foxx That’s a good idea!
I would surely buy one.
I would buy one as well!
But no History Guy nude calendar story unless he is talking about Ben Franklin's air bathing and "history that is best forgotten" . LOL
A digital calendar app...easily updated. Links to events and their corresponding THG episode.
Many thanks for highlighting the Mt. Hood. My uncle was lost on board that day. My other Aunts and Uncles never spoke about this other than it had happened. Although I've read other articles, your episode made it so much more vivid to me. Thank you. May God bless all of the Sailors on the Mt. Hood.
My grandfather, Chester A. Gile, was a naval officer in Seeadler at the time, (and uniquely, an officer in WWI as well) and his eyewitness account of the Mount Hood explosion was published in Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute. "It sounded like someone had struck a bass drum--a drum a mile in diameter!" was his statement that has stuck with me since childhood.
Similarly, my father was a CPO electrician at Seedler at the time. He said the Quonset hut shop he was in was knocked off its foundation pilings. A quiet man, it was one of the few things he spoke of from the war.
Spike's Pa; being a quiet man is a fine attribute. A part of the foundation of being a gentleman.
Mark White Being an old Navy chief who spent a fair amount of time in China before *and* after the war, he might have chuckled at being called a "gentleman". But a good man just the same. Just wish I could have gotten a bit more out of him about his career.
that's a great description
@@spikespa5208 Seeadler (See+adler). Just saying, because like in English Sea Eagle can't be Seagle - this time the one letter counts that much :)
Liked your story, brings the war time closer to the skin. So it's not just abstract strategies on the map. And shows the chaos of war where people can die outside of battles too. Or survive randomly near big explosion. The sorrow is the same for the family missing it's loved one, be it an enemy torpedo during battle, or a wrench dropping from the mast and killing the guy on the deck when in harbor after the declaration of armistice.
Several viewers have questioned the pronunciation of Seeadler harbor. For pronunciation we use Google Translate and Pronounce Wiki. I used the US pronunciation because the sailors were Americans. However, interviews with veterans suggests that most of the American sailors called the harbor Manus harbor.
To clarify the comment about sailor William Knight, the contention is not that he was Al Capone, but that he was Al Capone’s unacknowledged son. While the story of his injury by shrapnel is accurately recorded, the conclusion about his parentage is still a matter of dispute.
Why don't you do a video of the port Chicago, California disaster
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Chicago_disaster
In German, Seeadler would be pronounced zay-odd-luh with primary stress on the first syllable. It means Sea Eagle. Americans called it Manus Harbor, as it was the harbor at Manus Island.
Loanword Eggcorn this was the Second World War. How the Germans pronounced it would not have been high on an American serviceman’s list.
Histoy? Done ....
Lt. Collie was a close family friend of my late parents. He had survived the Pearl Harbor attack, being aboard the repair ship Vestal next to the Arizona and was blown into the flaming water. He survived, completed rehab, and was promoted from storekeeper to supply officer. After my parents passed I found a memento from him and returned to his surviving son. Thank you. Narragansett Bay.
My father in law was a Navy Corpsman from the USS Helena at the time of the attack on Pearl. He was at the hospital at the time and tended to many burn victims.
@@andrewinbody4301 Thank you for the reply. Your father was probably like mine in that he was not a Hospital Corpsman, but rather a Pharmacist Mate (prior to 1947 with a Red Cross as the rating badge). My father was transferred from the Utah three weeks before the attack. Later served with the 2MarDiv in the invasion of Saipan where he survived a banzi charge. He retired after 30+ years as a W-4 in the Navy Hospital Service Corps
Adding to Andrew and Jeb, my father was also a Pharmacist Mate (later Corpsman) aboard the USS Alaska, serving at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. I remember the red cross from his uniform. He never talked much at all about the war, but was a different man among his shipmates than at home. He retired as a Hospitalman Chief after 41 years with the Navy.
Jeb Sails I met another sailor on the Vestal. He lived in Baldwinsville, NY. I was his insurance agent and had spent some time in the Marine Corps. He told me of the valor of his captain with tears in his eyes. That Captain was promoted to the CO of a a light cruiser and was killed in action of off Guadalcanal. My customer and friend spent the whole war on the Vestal. He showed me his “memory” book of the war. Sadly, he died just a few weeks after that. He was a quiet, proud man.
I wondered if this was the spelling of that man's name. How ironic that he survived so much, only to be blown up by the equivalent of friendly fire.
Thanks for an excellent story on the loss of the Mt. Hood.
As 3rd gen Navy, I was 19 when assigned to ET-A school at Treasure Island, in SF Bay in 1969. On the first day of class an old salt came into class to tell us the rules. Bottom line: if you mess up, break rules, or fail two class segments, you are transferred out of school and onto one of the ammo carriers running between Walnut Creek and VN. He told us the story of the Mt. Hood, emphasizing the fact that nothing large enough to identify was ever recovered. Rumor was that anyone who messed up in the West coast Navy was put on one of the ammo ships, with all the other screw-ups. (I'm not saying that -- it was the scuttlebutt.) Nobody wanted to be on an ammunition ship with a bunch of misfits and nobody failed any classes or broke any rules. Best incentive ever.
i was at treasure island in 72 for HT A school (damage control). We always heard that if you flunked A school you would be sent to the fleet and assigned to the boiler room. LOL
Pretty shocking. This is the first time i heard the whole story.
Being a lifelong Orygunian and WWII history buff, I never heard this before either. I can"t imagine a conventional explosion 4,500 yards away being forceful enough to knock a person over.
I think they had three major Ammunition ships exploding during World War II. The incident at Port Chicago in Concord ,California and the Incident at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Whether at the front lines or behind the scenes, there's always a risk to those who don the uniform. To all veterans and service members (past and present) : thank you for your service.
There are also those that go forward areas with the military such as contractors that do risky work in combat zones. They get overlooked because people think they are well compensated. Check out what the military sealift command does. There is also a civilian Army employed by the Army. The list goes on. These civilian contractors don't get the glory nor medals. You never hear about them but they are out there involved in operations. I've been on both sides of the fence. I can honestly say I saw more military installations abroad and more hot spots being a contract DOD employee than I did while in uniform. Only big difference is that in the Marines, I'm a combatant. Get to carry that M16. As a contractor, they provide the security.
@@comm2531, a great example are the men that served and gave their lives on board the merchant ships that the U-boats sank so many of during WWII. I sincerely hope that Admiral King went completely insane before he died remembering the over 400 ships and the thousands of lives lost on board those ships in the U-boats second "Happy Time" off the coasts of the US all because of his Agliophobia! Then you add the thousands of lives lost that nobody ever heard of that died after their ship had it's guts ripped out by a German torpedo in the Atlantic. Has anyone ever heard a roll call of these brave men's names?
@@richardcline1337 As a former naval officer, I never knew King. different generation.But from what I have read about him, he was an ass who thought he knew everything better than all others. The problem with King was that while a stubborn total jerk, he actually usually did know more about things than anyone else. He was right so often, and mad at all the "lesser" beings around him, that he proved almost invaluable to our war effort. But I am also sure I would have hated working for that guy.
Heard about this while I was in the Navy, serving on auxiliary ships similar to the Mount Hood, but even then all they would say was that it exploded and that a few survived because they were on shore detail. They were still talking about it and the lessons learned. That the story was so much bigger was a surprise to me. Thank you, History Guy for this.
Every war had it's version of the Mount Hood, the Halifax explosion in 1917 is a prime example. www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-great-halifax-explosion
Safety rules are often written in blood.
I heard about it when I served on the Mt Hood ae 29 in 1986 ported out of concord navel station
I grew up in the shadow of the stratovolcano Mount Hood. I knew that USS Mount Hood was an ammunition ship that rather unfortunately lived up to her namesake, but my knowledge was lacking most of the details that you have so aptly illustrated, THG. Thank-you for this video.
When you consider the monumental amount of ordnance produced and transported during the way, it's miraculous that there were so few accidents of similar magnitude.
This is the third such incident involving 4 ammunition ships I've heard of, but not in chronological order. The other two incidents are the two ships that exploded at Port Chicago, and there is the one that went down around the mouth of the Thames River in Britain, that one broke in two and is still sitting there fully loaded today. There is a no sail/no fly zone around her and they are studying ways to try and unload her, but as yet no efforts have been undertaken to my knowledge. Officials are worried that a Mount Hood/Port Chicago style explosion could still occur and maybe destroy a third of London or the intervening area.
A big RAF ammo base went up the same year in staffordshire. Luckily it was sensibly located in an old mine, but still left a huge crater which is still there. Casualties were a lot fewer 60-70 but the damage was so similarly vast they could never find out what happened.
I still find it amazing how specialized some of the support ships were. The "internal combustion engine repair ships" definitely stand out in this fact.
There was a specialized barge at the Ulithi anchorage that keep meat and vegetables frozen for the ships in the fleet. They also produced 500 gallons of ice cream a day for the sailors and Marines stationed on ships and on shore there. I'll bet everyone was thankful for that treat!
The Port Chicago Disaster (July '44) is similar but with even more drama in the aftermath - the mutiny of the surviving cargo handlers. One of the few mutiny cases prosecuted in USN history. Worth a thorough examination / review for fellow military history addicts. Thanks History Guy for a great channel!
My uncle Leo was attached to Boat Pool #15, working on the Mount Hood that day. RIP. Thank you for remembering these brave sailors serving our country that day.
You might look at the Port Chicago Disaster and the Port Chicago Mutiny. I read about this in Studs Terkel's book "The Good War." He interviewed one of those who took part in the mutiny and how it affected his life. I had no idea about this before reading the book- an incredible international personal history of WW2. The reverberations from this disaster continued until as recently as last year.
I believe he has already done an episode on the Port Chicago disaster.
@@RodneyGraves I have done a search on TH-cam and there are a few videos but I did not find one by the History Guy but it might be one he did for his Patreon supporters and was not released to eveybody.
Port Chicago Was a town next to the US Navy Mare Island Annex docks, were ammo was loaded on ships like the Mt Hood. And the explosion was like what happen to the Hood. It is a story that should be done here on this channel. The story is bis enough for 2 shows. I use to live near the inland portion of the weapon station. There is a lot of history on the base. The Army still use the Port to ship equipment, and ammo, to this day.
@@Texaslobo The interview I read in The Good War, was an eye-opener, for sure.
@@NickRatnieks , " The Good War" is indeed an excellent book. Terkel's books "Hard Times" (about the Depression) and "Working" (about how people feel about their jobs) are must-reads.
Don’t have the word “hood” anywhere on a ships name... HMS Hood, Mt Hood... they tend to blow up...
The beautiful Mount Hood, near Portland, Oregan, is a volcano...
A remarkable coincidence. But then, I believe in coincidence.
the maddest i ever became concerning fellow Navy vets was during a local golf tourney after which we all sat around socializing and eventually conversation swung to our respective service - I was a two tour PBR sailor, another fellow was a SEAL, still another was a flight deck sailor, one was a marine etc. - one of the guys was strangely silent until someone asked him "what did you do during the Viet Nam war" his response was that he had a "Safe" job at the supply center in Oakland and didn;t do much to help ............... for some reason this pissed me off and I jumped up and vehemently yelled at him for his lack of pride in what he did - i pointed out that without his efforts to keep me and the rest of us supplied with what we needed - ammo, food, replacement uniforms, gas for our vehicles, our mail, and our "near beer" and the list went on - we could not have continued with our jobs. "Without you doing your job at an amazing level I would have had no tools to work with so get off your self=pity party and be proud of what you did" The response was universal and all on the patio stood and cheered. Later, privately, he confided to me that he had never looked at it that way and felt waaaaaaay better. When vets say to one another " Thank you for your service", we mean it for all who served ...... in whatever capacity. Teamwork is how you win
whatever - boring story - maybe true ... I won a chess game once
You must know back then people was forced to join the army! That's why many regretted.
You did very good. Gave poor guy back a little pride. I feel he was kind of embarrassed. No supplies No chance survival or hugely % dropped. Everybody on team is important. No near beer that would been unacceptable in Vietnam. I was not there little too young. I am 60 now. But worked many day side by side with many Viet. Vets. So many I after maybe 1 day could tell if they saw lot action the real quiet ones get that thousand yard looking way off in there faces sometimes or in the rear with the gear didn't see that much action. I think bosses put me with them because I understood talk loudly before walking up behind one. Kind of keep them calm if I can. Specially ones seen a lot combat. They didn't ask for that they had live with rest there life's. They just wanted make it back To The World.
Funny one everybody told that young boy best quit sneaking up scaring that guy. Only he thought it was very funny all 6' 130 pd of him & just laugh like a big fool after he did that. One day Mr. Funny was found by boss knocked out cold laying on ground. Nobody saw nothing. Boss knew what happen even he told Mr. Funny he best quit doing that. So we wasn't questioned very hard at all. That ended Mr. Funny tricks & his own little personal comic act. He never did that stupid stunt again.
A bit nasty telling him to get off his pity party. How did you even know that it was petty? It could’ve been embarrassment. I’ve known several people who served in similar positions, who were more embarrassed when in the company of those who served at the front line. That’s not his fault, and he didn’t deserve to be yelled at And embarrassed like a young school boy. No wonder he was reluctant to speak up when they were bullies like you
@@AlphaGeekgirl My father was a Marine from 1948 to 1952. He was stationed on Guam when the Korean War broke out, and his unit was shipped to Hawai'i for organizational reasons. My dad and another guy were taken out of line and put on guard at the gate of Pearl Harbor and later became a DI at Parris Island. Meanwhile, his unit went on to the Inchon invasion and Chosin Resevoir.
40+ years later, my dad gets a call from someone from his unit. The unit had an alumni association and had believed dad had been KIA. Determining that he was alive, he was invited to the next reunion in Branson, MO.
He and mom drove down to Branson, but when it came time to go in, my dad was hesitant to go. He said he didn't feel worthy to be with them not having gone through what they did. Mom told him to suck it up and they went in. One of dad's fire team mate saw him, yelled out "Ski!", dad's nickname, and the years melted away. They later found out that dad was a DI, and one remarked he would rather have been in Korea.
I live in the shadow of Mt. Hood. This was truly history to be remembered. Thank you for telling our stories...lest we forget!
It was a lesson learned but not forgotten. The navy has a lot of safety rules which were learned by death. These are not to be treated lightly.
Safety rules are written in blood.
Another ammunition ship blew up in San Francisco while being loaded. IIRC the Navy placed the blame on careless handling but surviving crew said they were pressed to move fast so safety took 2nd place.
Off the coast of Italy another ammo ship blew up during Anzio or Salerno invasion. That one was hit by a German bomber.
The lessons is, ships called “Hood” tend to explode.
Every time I heard of some crazy rule or sop in the Army I remembered it must have be for a good reason.
LuvBorderCollies Wasn’t there another fairly major ammunition ship explosion at Pearl that damaged or wiped out 4 transports just before one of the major amphibious landings?
My father served on a Victory ship while in the navy during ww2 so hearing about their history is very special to me
Thank you
Joe
The fleet train _Mount Hood_ was a part of was, in no small part, one of the most important cogs in the Navy's drive to to defeat Japan. The USN was able to do everything but the heaviest repairs at forward bases using floating drydocks. They were able to keep the advancing fleet supplied with everything from fuel, ammunition, right down to ice cream and fresh vegetables instead of having to return to bases further east or even back to Pearl and the West Coast. The lost souls of _Mount Hood_ were part of a great and often little remembered but seemingly never ending stream of supplies that allowed the US to defeat Japan.
[Edited to correct the name of the ship and my usual typos. I blame the bat flu. :-) )
Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics...
My father, was aboard the U.S.S. Alhena (pronounced Al-HEE-na) when the Mt.Hood exploded. He was below decks in the ships machine shop. He said it seemed like Hell had fallen on to the ship. He made his way up to the cargo deck and was very surprised that there was no sign of the Mt.Hood. He said the Mindenao looked like Swiss cheese since it had so many holes in the side of the hull.
@@jwenting So true. The best vessels and best sailors in the world come to nothing without the supplies and maintenance they need to wage war.
@Danger Bear You can read _Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil
, The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II_ at books.google.com/books/about/Beans_Bullets_and_Black_Oil.html?id=HglIAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. It's a book written by Rear Adm. Worrall Reed Carter, the officer commanding Service Squadron Ten, the largest of the fleet train squadrons. It''s over 400 pages, and can be slow at times, but it's overall a great story of the USN going from zero to 100 in less than a year to get the fleet train up and running. The concept was tested a little in war games during the 30's, but no one would have ever thought it would grow to the largest naval force afloat by 1945. Well worth a read if naval history is your interest.
@@michaelfruitticher616 I have read the explosion aboard the _Mount Hood_ had about 75% of the explosive power as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It must have been terrifying yet awe inspiring. My dad served on PT boats during the war, and his squadron had departed from Manus two days before the explosion, after some refit work for the boats and R&R for the crew. The first they heard of the explosion was some chatter between other ships on the TBS radios that had been in harbor at the time of the explosion. His crew assumed most of what they heard was the usual sailor scuttlebutt about how big the explosion was. Little did he know until much later that it was even worse than what they had heard. Thank the Lord both our fathers made it back from the Pacific.
Man, those two guys going on front of court martial must've felt real fortunate For fighting each other or whatever they've done.
I believe they had survivors guilt after that happened because their charges where dropped.
I bet those two who went to the brig didn't feel so bad about it anymore
The charges were dropped after the explosion.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel No doubt for lack of witnesses.
I'm sure there would be some degree of "survivor's guilt."
A movie adaptation would have them responsible for the explosion somehow.
@@raypelling6440 yes, they secretly planted cigarette loads for laughs, then...
Hey ! My Father witnessed the explosion. He was on LCI 773. He met Archie Trader one of the survivors who were on shore to the mail shed. Though the Japanese said that there were no midget subs there a sailor did spot one. And unlike the German wolf packs it was definitely a Japanese tactic to use midget subs at important harbors like Pearl.
The most likely cause would be some munitions being dropped into an open hold, with any safeties on them failing and causing sympathetic detonation of the other munitions on board the ship. Unfortunately, that was a major hazard with loading munitions well into the 1970s. A similar event occurred at the Royal Navy Armaments Depot Bedenham, just a couple of miles from my house, in 1950, also resulting from munitions being dropped, though there may have been sabotage involved. Whilst no ship was involved, the 6 lighters that the stores were being loaded on to were destroyed, as was the pier and the train that transported the munitions to the pier. Considerable damage was done in the surrounding towns of Fareham and Gosport, and also in the city of Portsmouth though there were no fatalities. The next year the RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) ammunition ship Bedenham (not, apparently, a lucky name) was destroyed by sympathetic detonation when the lighter it was transferring munitions to caught fire and exploded at the Gun Wharf at Gibraltar, causing massive damage to the town and 13 service and civilian deaths, blowing the bow of the ship out of the water and on to the Gun Wharf, with the rest of the ship reported as sunk, though it is probably more likely that most of the rest of the ship was fragmented and distributed over a wide area by the explosion. One of those killed was George Campbell Henderson, a sub-officer with the dockyard fire brigade, who ordered his fire fighters to evacuate while remaining in place to pour water on the fire, subsequently being awarded a posthumous George Cross for his actions. Amazingly, the crew of the Bedenham survived, having been evacuated from the ship before the explosion, and the Captain and Naval Armament Supply Officer, who remained on the ship, were blown into the water by the explosion and were rescued. Transporting ammunition was a highly precarious occupation indeed due to the fact that naval munitions, particularly depth charges, were extremely volatile and could detonate or catch fire with little provocation, with fire leading to inevitable explosion unless it could be extinguished in very short order, not an easy or safe task...
Thank you so much for writing this out. I hadn't heard of either event.
@@workingguy6666 A lot of UK military history tends to remain unknown beyond the UK and the families of those involved in the events, but there's plenty of information on them freely available out there. Despite coming from a Navy family, I was totally unaware of the RFA Bedenham tragedy in Gibraltar until very recently...
I agree with this. What I kind of suspect happened was a mechanical failure. The ship had been in continuous operation for months at that point, so the odds of something breaking were high. All it would take is a cable or sling breaking at the wrong time to send a bomb crashing down into the hold. Most likely some poorly-forged part finally succumbed to metal fatigue and gave way at exactly the worst possible moment.
@@WardenWolf Even when everything is working properly and the crew are well-trained and operating at peak efficiency, trans-shipping munitions was incredibly hazardous. A brief trawl through the military history of any country rapidly brings to light the number of events that could be put down to this procedure going wrong. When you add them all up, on a worldwide basis it could almost be considered commonplace...
@@gosportjamie It does seem that the UK keeps bad events under wraps longer than the USA (for example). Of course, then, there's always Russia for being pros at not opening up, and the Italians for just collectively forgetting bad events.
Thank you for this incredibly unknown piece of history. I have hundreds of WWII books and have studied it for decades. Never once have I encountered this story. Your recounting of the event is a real tribute to those men lost, doing their duty to aid the war effort in the most expeditious way, even at an acknowledged risk. The statement from Nimitz is the most accurate, there is no reason to blame the officers or the crew - it was war, there was a tragic accident, it occurred by expedient decisions being taken. I realize there is limited information regarding the event but do have one question/doubt regarding the USS Mount Hood being surrounded by LCM's. Certainly some could have been there but it is infinitely more likely that she was surrounded by many LCVP's and a few LCM's. Even the photos of the event include scores of LCVP's and a few LCM's.
"We never had an explosion before". How many do you expect to have on an ammunition ship?
Just one. But then, I'm not an officer, just a Bosuns Mate.
Steve Morris First time for everything!
One is usually enough. Ask the crew of the Mont Blanc.
Steve Morris LoL, true.
@@vilstef6988
Hell, ask any of the 320 sailors on ammunition loading detail for the 1st shift at Port Chicago on 7/17/44. You will need an Ouija board.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Chicago_disaster
@TheHistoryGuy, can you clarity the part about the Gunners Mate "Seman Knight" that was injured in the blast as Gangster Al Capones son? Was the Sailor Al Capone SR (the gangster) or JR? In 1944 Al Capone SR was in prison. I'm not sure if I'm missing something in the way it was presented.
Thanks in advance. Really enjoy your videos and the effort that is put into them.
I've always loved history, apparently what I thought I knew is only an ice cube compared to a glacier.
I served on USS Semmes DDG 18, USS Cape Cod AD 43, USS Kinkaid DD 965, USS Whidbey Island LSD 41, and USS Wasp LHD 1. Served a total of 21 years. Retired in 2003.
Thank you for your service. My dad served on the USS Constellation during Vietnam.
@@olliefoxx7165 I remember the Connie when it was stationed in San Diego at North Island Naval Air station.
@@williamsanders5066 wish I could have toured it. Dad use to talk about sitting at night watching the wake disappear thinking. He worked the cable that caught the Jets landing.
Did you have a favorite ship or post?
Y'all are amazing to me. Thanks for your service and honor gents.
@@olliefoxx7165 My favorite ship was USS Cape Cod. Was only 18 months in commission when I reported on board in March 1984. Made my first and only Western Pacific deployment on her. Had the privilege of having my first reenlistment ceremony on USS Arizona Memorial in 1986 on the way back to San Diego.
Perfect name for a ship disaster. Why not the St Helens. Or the Rainer, or the USS Three Sister's,, Mammoth, or Yellowstone. Perfect name's for ammunition ship's.
During the Vietnam War I served aboard the USS Grasp ((ARS-24) A salvage ship. The ship was tasked with keeping off shore petroleum lines in good repair.
I'm in awe of just how great this channel is! Thanks for all you do The History Guy.
Thank you for remembering these true heroes. As a Cavalry trooper my MOS certainly made me a front line soldier, so I spent my time in combat looking for, and engaging the enemy. I was trained, and equipped for this task. If you’ve never seen the firepower a modern armored cavalry troop brings to the battlefield i assure you it’s awe inspiring. Every bullet, bean, and gallon of fuel I was given was brought to me by someone with little combat training, and even less firepower. These truck drivers, cooks, and other support soldiers were subjected to road side bombs, ambushes, and all forms of enemy attacks. Not once did I run out of what I needed ( it was close a few times ). I gave these guys a hard time anytime I could because that’s what is expected of line troopers, but their bravery always impressed me.
Right, 90% of the people think the heroes are just the front line soldier's, the supply chain was as brave as the fighters without them there will be nothing to work with. Everyone in the whole force deserves the same treatment!
In the Merchant Marine during Viet Nam we used to say we were bringing "Bullets, Beans and Beer" to the Soldiers. Although just a civilian and not considered a veteran, I have always been proud to support the troops during Viet Nam and Desert Storm. Also, the Army is my favorite service. You guys are the best.
@@Mondo762 right, even being a civilian all troops need a chain supply, many times I get angry at some members of the forces cause they diminish the brave work of the civilians. Without the chain supply they will be nothing. Just imagine moving around a red zone or conflict area with bullets and all kinds of landmines to deliver the goods need it. That's brave enough to me.
The supply machine in Vietnam for our OV-10 squadron (VAL-4) was top notch never ran low on ordinance to support our guys. Parts were there when needed and ALWAYS had aircraft ready to launch.
@@Mondo762 WTF? Army is your best branch of service? You just pissed on my Wheaties.
Lesson of the day: don't name your ship "Hood".
And I would bet that the US Navy never names a ship "Mount Saint Helens"!
Or Erebus...
I was thinking that myself.
Bismark sank the Hood.....
I was thinking the same. "Hood is not good!"
I almost hate to "like" this video, just because it's so terribly tragic.
I completely get that and agree.
Tragic but true history!!! 🙏
I completely get what you mean. But I view it as honoring the memory of those who died. You are "Liking" not their deaths, but their honorable service to our country. (In my humble opinion, that is.)
My great uncle (grandpa's brother) died in this incident. Craziest part was my family never knew about it! It wasn't until after my grandparents death that we found papers and things related to him.
I served on board the second Mount Hood AE-29 from 1996-1999 as a gunners mate. We always handled ammunition slowly and carefully. Thank you for this history.
Same here as I served as a gunner's mate onboard the USS Mount Hood (AE-29) leaving that beautiful ship in 1992. I heard about this story back when I was a sailor on the good hood.
@@michaelb.8953 The Piedmont (AD17), the only ship in the navy called him instead of her, was my first ship. The I retired off the Mount Hood (AE29) in June 1995.
I was stationed on her from late 1980 to June 1983. Are you in one of the Facebook groups?
HMS Hood: Exploded.
USS Mount Hood: Exploded.
Mt. Hood, Oregon: *ACTIVE VOLCANO.*
Coincidence?
Unsure, but I'm not wearing a hood again.
A coincidence? No, Navy brass has a genuinely wicked sense of humour. Today's (retiring) Kilauea-class ammunition ships are in fact named for volcanoes or other explosion related terms. I suspect this is a habit dating back at least to WW II.
When all else fails "blame the dead guys" Thank you, sir.
In this case it really was the dead guys fault, at least a few of the dead guys on the Mt. Hood.
@@oveidasinclair982 - Not proven, just the easiest conclusion.
The U.S. Navy has a shit record for investigative prowess. Clayton Michael Hartwig, 25, was killed in the explosion of gun turret #2 on the USS Iowa, during training maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean off of Puerto Rico. The Navy did everything in it's power to shift focus from mechanical malfunction (subsequently found to be the more likely cause) to an alleged homosexual suicide plot, thus disgracing a fine sailor and shaming his family. In response to the new findings, the U.S. Navy, with Sandia's assistance, reopened the investigation. In August 1991, Sandia and the GAO completed their reports, concluding that the explosion was likely caused by an accidental overram of powder bags into the breech of the 16-inch gun. The U.S. Navy, however, disagreed with Sandia's opinion and concluded that the cause of the explosion could not be determined. The U.S. Navy expressed regret (but did not offer an apology) to Hartwig's family and closed its investigation.
There are other inept and criminally negligent investigations like this; one being the sinking of the USS Indianapolis- I'll let that one go as it is a classic case of investigative incompetence that ultimately caused the suicide of a fine officer.
Just a Snipe, 1969- 1973
@@BeachsideHank That's a great rant and all, but in this case the Navy was right.
Big Navy is always right ;)
@@BeachsideHank It was the guys on the MT Hood doing the unloading, it really was the guys on the Mt. Hood that funk up that day. I'm sure navy procedures could have & should have been better, but how many other ammunition ships in the US Navy in WWII blew up like this and there were many many other ammunition ships in the US Navy back in that war.
My father, his brother and the local doctor from their small home town in CA were all stationed on Manus Island, all USN, and all witnessed the Mt. Hood explosion. When it blew, my dad was at a different dock in charge of the machine shop there, he heard it, said he felt the ground quake and saw the mushroom cloud, fortunately he was a few miles away. His brother however was piloting a landing craft taxiing sailors to shore around 2000+ yards from the explosion, he turned the big drop down ramp on the front of the boat into the blast , had his passengers squat down behind that big flat ramp to try to protect them from flying debris. However they all had shrapnel wounds and my uncle's ear drum was perforated just by the shock wave, (the left one which was closest to the explosion). Later, their doctor friend, being an officer managed to get an official USN photo print of the explosion from one of the base photographers, though he was forbidden from displaying it publicly until after the war due to it's being classified, it was not mentioned at home until after hostilities ended because they thought it would be detrimental to morale at home. I saw that photo hanging in the doctor's exam room in the early 60's, and most gatherings of that side of the family included talk amongst the brothers of that incident. My uncle had what we would now call PTSD for the rest of his life, night sweats, sensitivity to loud noises, etc, etc. All five of the boys and one sister of my father's family served in the USN during WWII, and all we cousins of the next generation were immensely proud of each and every one of them.
Wonder if those sailors were classified as KIA or MIA? They were killed while performing their duty so should be honored as such. They had a very dangerous job and did that job.
Edit: I know he said they were listed as MIA but that doesn't seem right. MIA doesn't seem to give closure or provide significance to their death that KIA does. It may seem petty but those sailors died serving our country. They deserve honor.
Ollie Foxx I think officially, they would be “missing in action, presumed dead”. The “in action”, part, addresses your point, that they were doing their duty.
They weren't in action when they were killed.
Helium Road ....What part of their activities were not “in action” during a war? It may not have been actual front line combat, but they were fighting a war with every step they made, every breath they took.
Robert Beirne ....yes. I believe the fact there are no remains found requires this designation for the records only. It does not diminish their service in any way.
Doesn’t “MIA presumed dead” get periodically reviewed, and where appropriate, such as the complete disintegration of the ship he was standing on, get converted to KIA after a few years?
I live in Oregon within 50 miles of Mt. Hood and had not heard of this disaster. Thank you for presenting this very unfortunate piece of naval history.
And I thought I had a dangerous job as a door gunner in Nam. I know about cutting corners, but that seems a little excessive. However I wasn't there and can't say. A very good episode. Thanks again History Guy.
I’m a retired submariner who is fascinated by WW II stories. Most of the ones I’ve read involve submarine warfare. I was shocked that I’ve never heard of this before. Thank you for sharing these ‘stories of forgotten history’. Especially meaningful at this time of the year (Memorial Day), when people still thank me for my service, not realizing that for us this is the time to honor our fallen comrades. 🇺🇸
RIP my shipmates. I worked at Naval weapons Station Earle NJ where they load ammo ships. Then I had the flip side duty at Ash Shuaybah, Kuwait. When ammo is moved today it's a very isolated thing. The pier at Earl is almost 3 miles out to sea. We had to go to 'school' before we could work the loadings. This tragedy and others like it were studied. It was driven into us what not to do. On loading days. The town will close the roads near the base. Long ago the Navy bought up property near the base as far back as possible. There are no civilians near. They only load a few times a year. In Kuwait, it is nothing like Earl. It is a wharf, a long concrete wall (dock). On unloading days, the ships already there leave and moor out to sea, all the local businesses (concrete plants and oil refinery) close, and the ammo ship comes in. All the crew leave, all but for the few that run the deck. The stevedores work all day and night. One by one the Army trucks come in and take containers (it’s all containerized today). The few times in the two years I did this, I took turns with other sailors to reduce the risk. It's all about risk. You kind of figure it would not hurt if it went up.We have learned much from this and other tragedies like it.
I was stationed in Earle too. I was on the USS Butte (AE-27). I guess it was a good thing they didn't have youtube back then. We all knew being on that ship was dangerous but youtube shows the consequences of a disaster.
USS Suribachi here. AE21
I just commented about the lack of info about the 1942 explosion at the Earle/Leonardo pier. I was a civilian at Fort Monmouth in the early '80s. Everyone talked about it. I was searching for youtube videos about it when I found this video last night. Our big Saturday night! My husband was CO for two years at NWS Earle in the early mid 80s, and he does not recall having heard about. Thanks for your service.
@@celestebenson3519, I was at Fort Monmouth twice, once in the late 60's and then again in the early 70's. I can't remember what the high security wing of the school was called back then but that training, coupled with my MOS, is probably what kept me from going to Vietnam even though I volunteered twice. The Army felt it needed my skills elsewhere so I wasn't allowed to go. My last memory of a good friend from high school was running into him at the school on my second assignment there. I remember him always being full of fun and laughter in school but he was a totally different man when I saw him last. I think he knew he wasn't coming home and it showed on his face and the way he talked. He was killed shortly after arriving in country in Vietnam. Because of him and several friends I also lost in that worthless conflict, I have always hated and despised Kennedy for escalating that fiasco into a conflict we were NEVER meant to win. Like Roosevelt in WWII, Kennedy didn't live to see the end of the mess he got us into.
I was there for an onload around 2016, and the length of the pier just shows the wild amount of firepower we stow in the magazines.
Positive result of Carona virus, I found "The History Guy". Now that's history that deserves to be remembered!
Thank You
Craig Coffman
Me too. This guy has wonderful delivery and would make a great motivational speaker as well as history teacher. I’m very glad to have stumbled into this wealth of knowledge (and entertainment).
The 1940's were a explosive time for ships named Hood, apparently.
@@Simon_de_Cornouailles The US ship was named after a mountain.
@@jimtaylor294 I mean he even said it in the video...
@@Simon_de_Cornouailles Named after the same person aye, but none of Admiral Samuel Hood's ships blew up, nor did two out of three RN Warships later named in his honour. The third also had a long career before her loss in battle.
General Blucher however of Germany... all warships named after him met messy ends.
@K.M. Haswell you must be fun at parties.
I'm researching this very incident and I stumbled onto your video. Very interesting stuff, but one thing seems very odd and I've looked into it and found nothing. The Anecdote about Al Capone being aboard one of the nearby ships. I find this very hard to believe seeing as the infamous gangster was born in 1899. Meaning he would have been in his 40s and serving in the Navy after a lifetime as an infamous gangster. Do you have any sources I can read up on about this? I'm not saying it's impossible. Just highly unlikely
Wow, I was just reading about this yesterday. Having sailed on 3 ammo ships as Engineer I take particular interest in these vessels and their mishaps. Some of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
Ammonium Nitrate ships have the biggest non-nuclear blast records... Two blew in Texas City.
Note to history, stop naming ships hood so they have less chance of blowing up
What is up with ships named "Hood" blowing up
Poor design?
Unlucky hits.
Yeah when I got the notification I thought it said HMS Hood for some reason, was expecting that.
Jeez the Mindanao looks like it was shot by a giant shot gun!
Are there any other ships named for volcanoes? ...or have there been but then they blew up?
Also: These supply ships were the setting for "Mr. Roberts" by Thomas Heggen. It's a good book. A friend of mine served on one of these ships in the Pacific in the last half of the war.
Imagine a court marshal that saved your life.
My brother missed movement. He got to the airport just in time to see the plane takeoff. He was the only surviving member of the repair crew bound for Korea.
Thank you for this bit of history. My dad was on the USS Oberender. He seldom talked about this incident.
My grandfather, Leonard A. Hughes Jr. was on the USS Oberenender too. He was a ensign and talked often about the hood explosion and trying to help crew members. He said the hood was more damaging than the kamakaze attack.
thank you !!! When I was in the Navy ammunition loading was always scary.
A friend of mine experienced the guy next to him drop a canon shell during ammunition loading.
same here USN 1976- 1985.
Marsh Oak Dojo - Tim Pruitt Everything was scary for me.
An Al Capone name drop was the biggest twist i never expected from this
To this DAY (!!!) naval recruits are shown films of the aftermath of the Hood explosion during their ShipBoard Firefighting Training. "This is what happens when YOU do it wrong!"
I went through in 2008 and I only remember the videos of the Forrestal. I don't believe there is anything you can do damage control wise if your ship decides to immediately explode.
Yeah, always blame the enlisted crewmembers, NEVER the inept and uncaring brass asses!
I’ve learned way more from The History Guy than public school.
My uncle was on shore when the ship blew up. He said at first he thought everyone in the harbor had been killed by the blast.
If your Uncle is still alive or if he left written memories about this, I would love to read them. Private Message me if you care to.
@@susiebloom3240 Sorry Susie, my uncle passed away in 1987. He was an Army MP in the Pacific during the war. I was young (mid 1950's) and didn't know enough to ask questions. At that time just about every adult male I knew had served in WW2.
Forty years ago on May 18, 1980, I had just reached the summit of Mt. Hood in Oregon and was taking some pictures, when BOOM Mt. St. Helens (30 miles north) had just erupted. It shot a plume of rocks and ash 50,000 ft to the jet stream. The photos of the USS Mount Hood exploding, looked eerily similar to the eruption.
Off topic I know, but being on top of Mt. Hood and seeing a massive explosion, seemed kind of ironic.
Reminds me of the Halifax explosion. Never knew any of this, great job on history !
USS Mount Hood AE-29 was the replacement for the initial Mount Hood. Best duty station I ever had.
This story reminds me, in part, of the explosion of the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc on December 6, 1917, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Yes! That would be a great HG topic.
A very similar incident was the explosion of the SS Grandcamp in Texas City on April 16, 1947. She had been loaded with about 2300 short tons of ammonium nitrate along with munitions and other bulk cargo when fire broke out. When she exploded it caused another ship, the SS High Flyer - also carrying over 900 tons of ammonium nitrate - to explode. Much of Texas City was leveled in the two explosions, and the majority of the city's firefighters were killed as they had arrived to fight the fire on the Grandcamp before she blew. One really odd coincidence with the Mont-Blanc is that Grandcamp was also French owned.
I first learned about that when doing my family tree in school and finding lots of deaths with my family name and wondering what happened. Went down that rabbit hole. Same thing happened with Flodden. It's amazing how distant and yet how close history is.
@@km3268 - Yes, it would. I'd also like to see a History Guy story on the Halifax explosion.
we built over 4000 Capital ships DurING wwII, Japan only built 9 Capital ships during WWII
Wow.
How tragic for the families involved!
Thank you for this.
Lesson from history: if a ships name is something with „Hood“, there is a high probability of blowing up due to some ammo issues.
great stuff
If you are an amphib sailor, LCM=Mike boat; LCVP=Papa boat...LCU...my experience is just an LCU.
A similar explosion happened in my state of California. Known as the port Chicago disaster, the mushroom cloud (yes mushroom) was visible 80 miles away.
I was stationed there on the old USS Pyro. The explosion literally leveled the town around it, but they left the streets. Creepy.
USS Mauna Kea for me. Rule back then was 24 hours or less at Concord I believe.
History Guy, please do a video on this event. It was a complete injustice and travesty how the men of Port Chicago were treated after the explosion.
@@MikeJBeebe I just watched this on it - it covers it well. th-cam.com/video/_t0FvLHzJw8/w-d-xo.html
As an Engineer in the Merchant Marine I've been to those docks many times. I've walked down to the spot where the explosion happened. There is a plaque with benches there. The pilings from the old pier are still sticking up out of the water.
My Dad was a Machinist on the USN repair ship AR 6 AJAX in WW2 and My best friend served on Her Sister Ship the AR7 HECTOR in The Vietnam War ...They both died from various cancers years after their service .They both were upper turret machinist that operated various milling machines and were often used for Ship Repairs in asbestos covered work spaces .
Say-add-ler (3 syllables) a sailing ship Commerce Raider of WW1 of the German Navy Commanded by Count Felix von Luckner,who destroyed serious Allied tonnage,while killing nobody.He would be a good subject for an episode.
No, the s in German is pronounced as a z, so, "zay 'ad ler".
von Luckner was quite a interesting man
Good Morning
I am just now finding this video. Today is the 79th anniversary of this tragedy. My Great Uncle 1C Johnny C. Stewart, was on that ship when it exploded. Thank you for your production of this documentary so that we may know a bit of what happened.
Sounds typical.
Nothing is ever the officers fault.
Then they wonder why enlisted retention rates are so low.
There's a reason that all AEs (ammunition ships, technically Auxiliary Explosives) are named for volcanoes. I served on an aircraft carrier off of Vietnam. We spent many hours underway replenishments alongside AEs taking munitions aboard.
Lesson #1. Never use Hood in the naming of a ship. They tend to blow up.
Amen. Bad mojo.
I'm sure if I look I'll find the naval historians probably find old weapon stores (that could be more dangerous than new ones)or even possibly like be like "This particular thing might have went off"
Yah, can't believe I hadn't heard about this either. Would like your take on the Port Chicago explosion.
I was familiar with the story of the USS Mt Hood disaster but I've only just realised that both the US Navy and the Royal Navy suffered disasters that cost the lives of many hundreds of sailors in massive explosions on ships called 'Hood'. The battle-cruiser HMS Hood was the largest warship in the Royal Navy (distinguished from a 'battleship' by its armour and not by size) when it was blown apart by a fifteen inch shell from the German battleship 'Bismarck' that penetrated its magazine and the 1,418 crew were all killed bar three. The British disaster was due to enemy action rather than a mistaken handling of ordnance but both events led to reviews of the storage of ammunition.
It should be noted that whenever possible, the military will always blame accidents on "operator error," never anything else. There's no way of knowing what caused the explosion, despite the USN's assertion it was due to "rough handling."
@jameshisself Indeed. Yet that didn't stop the Navy from reaching a conclusion, did it?
@jameshisself definitely isn't the impression I got from the video.
@K.M. Haswell And whose decision was it to arrange the ships like that? The guy who dropped the ammo?
My grandfather, Summerrow, Earl J., died aboard the USS Mount Hood on that fateful day. He was an Austin (TX) Firefighter before the war. He has a memorial and a tree planted at his downtown 5th Street station, and his name is on a plaque on a war memorial between the state Capitol and the Governor's Mansion.
There's a Mount Hood road here in Las Vegas near Nellis AFB in remembrance. You look quite snazzy this early morning. Could you please tell me how I can participate in your afternoon event ?
I remember seeing that road a couple of years back. I said why is there a road to Mount Hood all the way out here? That would explain it. 😂
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I worked with an old man back in the 1980s. He was a merchant mariner in the Atlantic theatre during WWII. He said that ships you didn't want were ammo haulers going over and empty oil tankers coming back. He claimed he saw an empty oiler get hit by a torp west of England. All they saw was a giant fireball about 2 miles away. I have no reason to doubt his story or advice.
Scrat335, I am assuming that the reason he didn't want to be on an empty oil tanker when a torpedo hit was because the small amount of leftover oil and fumes, mixed with a ton of air in the nearly-empty tanks, might well have been more explosive than when the oil tanks were full. Is that correct ?
@@goodun2974 Right. They're huge floating explosive fuel air bombs. I guess the U Boat commanders preferred loaded ships, obviously. But if none were around and they needed to kill something before going home an empty tanker would do. It was frowned upon to return to base with any ordnance on the sub.
@Randy Rinker , my brother is a retired oil-tanker captain, I remember him telling about being a first mate and responsible for overseeing tank inspections. The fumes were highly toxic as well as highly explosive; if the breathing apparatus failed, they'd have to haul an unconscious or possiby dead crewman out of the tank. One spark, and bang.
Yep. Oilers. My grandfather worked on a dock that loaded the oilers around Long Beach, CA. He said valving was very specific and dangerous if you did it wrong. He lived nearby the dock and would go home to his wife to eat lunch. On this day, he took the kid that was working with him to the gang of valves and told him, "do not touch anything...especially THIS one. I'll be back in hour" On returning from lunch and driving up a coastal road he could see a huge pillar of black smoke ahead of him and he thinks, "oh no, I HOPE that is NOT from MY dock"........It was. And it was later determined one of the valves was in the wrong position.
@@grecco_buckliano I was in the Navy, Machinist mate. The BTs were in charge of refueling and there was a huge manifold that they used to pump fuel to tanks with. They also had to sound the tanks to see how full they were. If you screwed up fuel oil went everywhere as it shot up the riser. Lots of it. I happened once on the mess decks at lunch time. Dozens of people got doused.
Sad story for sure. During R&D testing of a ground-based weapon system in 1980, I was a range safety officer. I 90 mm round build a fire and I had to hand-carry my dad to a small safety pit. I knew that any second the ordinance could go off as high-speed cameras filmed me on my way to the pit. The rest of the test crew was huddled around buildings as they watched. In all my years in the military that was the scariest part. Even more so than one scud missile's landing near me during the Gulf War. By the way, excellent presentation skills to the author of this video.
This is a bit spooky , I was just reading about this ship. After never hearing about it before I stumbled across it after reading about the damage caused to the USS John C Butler.
An excellent historical video Now have you covered the Norfolk Air Station devastating explosion in WWII?
They went from apathy to tedium and back again. I think Mr. Roberts said that.
Love that movie.
That is one of my favorite movies! If it is on, i watch it!
@@shallendor My favorite too! Plus the Caine Mutiny..."All Right....Who did it... Who did it???" Jimmy Cagney's Palm Tree Blues.
@@jimbateman225 The Caine Mutiny is another of my favorite movies!
Hello, you express yourself very well.
Very interesting video.
You should get a job with CBS Sixty Minutes.
Lance, your content is excellent but your 'conspiracy theory' advertiser's rants detract from you messages of truth.
You speak of valor and pulling together and your advertiser seeks to disrupt and spew hate.
I can't wait to press. "Skip" when this idiocy appears.
It’s a random ad setting for people that have opted out of targeted ads. My guess is that the AI assigns that type of ad to historical vids
Just to be pedantic, I thought I would point out that "Seeadler" is actually German. In German, at least, it is pronounced "zay - adler" and means "sea eagle". The harbor is named after the German cruiser SMS Seeadler and the harbor got its name in 1900 during the period of German colonial activity in the area.