Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!jrll@Portia.stanford.edu From: jrll@Portia.stanford.edu (john ralls) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: RE: Update on USS Iowa Message-ID: <6259@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 5 May 89 00:34:54 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Lines: 21 Approved: military@att.att.com From: john ralls The accident 12 years ago would be the collision between Belknap and Kennedy. The superstructure of Belknap was torn off by Kennedy's starboard sponson, and in the process, some jet fuel tanks on the sponson were opened, dumping the fuel onto Belknap. The fuel was ignited by the boiler exhaust, resulting in a truly impressive fire. One of my instructors at Supply Corps School was Gunnery Officer on Belknap at the time. He attributed the small loss of life (only 11 killed) to the fact that the Captain did not call for general quarters when colision was imminent; that would have put a large part of the crew topside in the fire control spaces. Belknap was towed back to the US and refitted; I recall that it took more than three years to put her right. Incidentally, it was that casualty which got the Navy thinking that aluminum superstructures are not such a smart idea. I believe that the Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) will be the first US destroyer to have a steel superstructure since the 1950's. John