Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: MEDELMA@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU (Michael Edelman) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Iowa Turret Disaster Message-ID: <1990Nov21.213959.16901@cbnews.att.com> Date: 21 Nov 90 21:39:59 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 14 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Michael Edelman I just read an excellent account in the latest issue of Popular Science on the investigation by Sandia Labs into the turret explosion on the Iowa. The general concensus is that it was caused by a combination of too high a rammer speed (ramming powder at the speed meant for ramming projectiles) combined with a particular distribution of pellets in one or more of the powder sacks. Has such an explosion occurred before in WWII era battleships? Did any lose turrets either in battle or in practice from an internal detonation? --mike edelman medelma@cms.cc.wayne.edu