USS Iowa turret explosion [SEP] point in time
USS Iowa turret explosion
On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship exploded. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Sandia National Laboratories. The investigations produced conflicting conclusions.
The first investigation into the explosion, conducted by the U.S. Navy, concluded
affairs staff. Each year after the accident on 19 April a memorial service is held at Iowa Point in memory of those killed in the explosion.
Since her decommissioning, the Battleship "Iowa" Museum (San Pedro, Calif.) hosts an annual memorial ceremony for the deceased crewmen of Turret 2. On April 19, 2019 a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the incident occurred in San Pedro, officiated by the Veteran's Association of the USS Iowa. A similar event was held the same day at Iowa Point