The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The USS Mount Hood (AE-11)

The Official Investigation and Eyewitness Accounts by Survivors

The USS Mount Hood (AE-11)Explosion:

The Ammunition Ship USS Mt. Hood (AE-11) blew up on 10 NOV 1944 at Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island, northeast of New Guinea, with great loss of life and extensive damage to shore installations and other vessels in the area. Following an investigation the following conclusions were reached by the Navy as to the explosion and the reasons for it.

USS MOUNT HOOD
EXPLOSION OF AN AMMUNITION SHIP IN WORLD WAR TWO
1.) The record of proceedings in the board of investigation which convened to inquire into the explosion Occurring on board an ammunition ship in the pacific theatre of operations was recently reviewed by the Chief of naval operations, together with preliminary reports and abstracts of the explosion prepared by the chief of ordnance and the army-navy explosion safety board.

In view of the fact that the evidence strongly points to the conclusion that the explosion was caused by a force or agency within the ship itself, it is deemed appropriate to give a brief resume of the explosion and point out some of the unsafe practices which existed and to indicate the damages which resulted from the explosion.

Brief description:

An ammunition ship moored in the harbor was acting as an ammunition depot, both receiving and delivering Ammunition to other ships and lighters simultaneously. Ship's crew and other personnel were working on all five holds of the ship. An explosion on board destroyed the ship and other shipping nearby and heavily damaged vessels moored at considerable distance from it.

Type of ammunition:

There were approximately 3,800 tons of ammunition aboard. This included bombs, projectiles, fixed ammunition, rockets, both bodies and motors, smokeless powder, aerial depth bombs, and nose fuzes. Torpex loaded depth bombs were apparently coming on board.

Cause of the accident:

Since the possibility of enemy action appears to have been remote, the most probable cause of the accident appears to have been rough handling of the ammunition while loading or unloading. The propagation of the explosion was undoubtedly increased by inadequate separation and segregation of incompatible items in stowage. Evidence indicates the possibility of the detonation of tpx-loaded depth bombs while it was being loaded into number three or four hold. Detonation could have been caused by striking the hatch with the bombs on the way down or dropping them into the hold carelessly.

The following unsafe procedures and practices were revealed by the investigation:

(A) that ammunition was being roughly handled in all parts of the ship
(B) that boosters, fuzes and detonators were stowed together in one hold in a manner contrary to regulations covering the transportation of military explosives (uscg-navcg 108)
(C) that broken rockets from which some powder was spilled had been stowed in two of the holds.
(D) that safety regulations for the handling of ammunitions were not posted in conspicuous places throughout the ship and there was a general lack of instructions to the crew in safety measures.
(E) that pyrotechnics and napalm gel incendiaries were stowed in an open wood and tar-paper hut on deck under hazardous conditions near the hatch to number four hold.
(F) that there was evidence that fuzes, detonators and other ammunition were accepted on board which were definitely defective and should have been destroyed or disposed of by dumping in deep water.
(G) that fire hoses were not laid out. There was evidence that fire drills were infrequently held.
(H) that there was a lack of enforcing the prohibition of smoking in small boats alongside the ammunition vessel.

Fatalities and injuries:

This explosion caused the deaths of several hundred people including all those on board the ship and the vessels moored along the side. In addition there were many injured, mostly by missiles on other ships in the vicinity of the explosion.

Description of explosion:

Witnesses saw at first a small explosion, about the size of that of a single bomb, followed a few seconds later by the main explosion. The flame and smoke from this explosion extended about 1,00 feet in radius and Rose 7,000 feet.

2.) The importance of creating and maintaining a safety consciousness on the part of officers and men engaged in the handling of explosives cannot be too strongly stressed. There is a safe way to handle every type of ammunition which has been issued to the naval service providing that it has not become defective through improper stowage and mistreatment.

Adequate instruction have been promulgated to that end by the department of ordnance. It is the responsibility of all cognizant personnel to guard against a relaxation of prescribed safety standards due to carelessness on the part of personnel engaged in ammunition handling.

This must especially be guarded against in the case of personnel who are habitually engaged in such work. Constant training of personnel on the correct handling procedure is necessary so they will recognize unsafe acts and refrain from committing them.

Accidents of the type described are rare, but they can be prevented in most cases by the exercise of a reasonable amount of care and judgment.

Observations of a survivor, Archie Trader and other eyewitnesses to events surrounding the explosion: A VIEW OF THE SAME EVENT BY A SURVIVOR...an E-mail from Archie Trader.

Dear Bill,

Enjoyed looking in on your USS RAINIER AE-5 Page.

I do like it and it's what I need to jog us old salts' memories. We do have a USS "AE" Association with a current membership of 20 ammunition ships.

I'm one of 18 survivors of the Mount Hood and do need your help. Three years ago I received a call from Carl Hughes a merchant seaman on the William H. McGuffy anchored in Seeadler Harbor 10 Nov.1944. He saw the Japanese Midget submarine that fired the torpedo that blew up my ship. Have all kinds of documentation that leads to and proves this fact.

I'll send you info that'll blow your mind like it has done to me.

Resp'lly,
Archie T.Trader
Morton,PA.19060-1817

Note: I have been trying to get the NAVY DEPT to set the record straight the Mount Hood was blown up by enemy action. Loved ones that were killed or wounded should get the Purple Heart Medal. It's a terrible burden to live with the thought" my ship mates blew themselves up." - ae11hood@bellatlantic.net

As of July, 2001, we are informed, sadly, of the passing in 1999 of Archie Trader. Read Archie's Poem in Honor of AE Sailors, written during World War 2, but updated a little since then to honor later generations of AE crews.

Here is an an article from the Bremerton Sun newspaper about Archie Trader's Quest for Justice.

TRUE TO HIS WORD, Archie sent along all sorts of documentation on the Hood disaster. These certainly are food for thought. Here are a few excerpts:

From "The Mt. Hood Explosion", by CDR Chester Gile, USNR,Ret., (published in the US Naval Institute Proceedings, Feb., 1963)

Mount Hood Crew

"...Conversations must have been choked off in mid-word, gestures interrupted in mid-air, thoughts ended at mid-point. One moment she was a ship teeming with life, humming with activity. Seconds later, she was a vast black billowing bier which momentarily marked the spot where 350 US Navymen perished without a trace."

"Mount Hood was anchored in approximately 35 feet of water. the force of the explosion blasted a trench in the harbor bottom, reported by divers as 1000 feet long, 200 feet wide and 85 feet maximum depth. In the trench was found the largest piece of the ship's hull- a piece less than 100 feet in it's longest dimension. Destruction was complete. Nothing was found after the explosion except fragments of metal which struck other ships. There were no bits of human remains, no supplies of any kind, nothing that had been made of wood or paper, with the single exception of a few tattered pieces of a signal notebook, floating on the water several hundred yards away."

"The flying fragments from Mount Hood smashed into some 30 other ships and harbor craft bringing the total casualties to nearly 1000 killed or wounded. Some of the harbor craft simply vanished with all hands...."

Copied from the War Diary, Manus Naval Base, for November 1944. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Small craft gathered around USS Mindanao (ARG-3) during salvage and rescue efforts shortly after Mount Hood blew up about 350 yards away from Mindanao's port side. Mindanao, and seven motor minesweepers (YMS) moored to her starboard side, were damaged by the blast, as were USS Alhena (AKA-9), in the photo's top left center, and USS Oberrender (DE-344), in top right.

Note the extensive oil slick, with tracks through it made by small craft.

"For some unknown reason, Mt. Hood had been anchored in the midst of the ships of the Seventh Fleet Service Force. Casualties to other vessels would have been minimized if the ammunition ship had been spotted at an isolated location a few miles down harbor, off the ammunition supply depot at Lugos, the customary anchorage for ships of this type. Somebody was at fault for designating an anchorage for Mount Hood so near to the other ships."

"There were no major combatant ships in Seeadler Harbor on 10 November. However, there were about 200 other ships in the harbor, mostly auxiliaries such as cargo ships, transports, tankers, depot ships, etc. It was fortunate the disaster did not occur a month earlier when the harbor was packed with vessels of the seventh Fleet, staging for the invasion of Leyte. I have seen photographs showing some of the 995 ships assembled in Seeadler Harbor in mid-October, 1944."

Statement of Carl Hughes of Akron Ohio, dated 10-23-97...

[I was on the fantail of the liberty ship William McGuffey] "where we had a full view of the starboard side of the USS Mount Hood, from bow to stern. ...we saw a puff of smoke originating from the Hood's midship. the smoke was immediately followed by an explosion which sent smoke and flames out of the stack one hundred plus feet in the air. In a matter of seconds another explosion occurred. The latter explosion was very intense and took out in entirety the Mt. Hood. This second explosion caused the Mt. Hood to disappear among smoke and flying debris which had projected nearly seven thousand feet into the air. After the air had cleared somewhat and visibility returned, pieces of the Hood along with its crew were found on the deck of the McGuffey."

"Before the first puff of smoke was seen coming from the Hood's stack, I saw a two man submarine break the water's surface. First I saw the submarine's periscope rise from the water...I saw the conning tower of the...submarine rise from the water four to five feet in the air. From the submarine's view, it could see the whole port and had an especially keen view of the Mt. Hood's midship. It was at this time that the submarine fired a torpedo into the Mt. Hood's midship. Immediately after the Hood took the torpedo hit the first puff of smoke was released from the smoke stack.

Next I observed the ...submarine come to a 45 degree angle to the McGuffey. The submarine then fired another torpedo, causing a second wake, this time in the direction of the McGuffey. The torpedo passed the McGuffey at seventy to eighty feet from the port side, coming to rest on a sandbar. The torpedo did not explode." Honorably,
Carl Hughes
[Notary Seal]

(Ed. Note: As noted in the official investigation report reproduced above, based on 22 days of testimony taken aboard USS Sierra following the explosion, the only conclusion, based on the evidence, was that the ship had blown up due to reasons other than enemy action.

Archie's quest is continuing, with the goal of establishing for his shipmates the recognition as casualties of enemy action they deserve. (Recently, however, he received and sent along to us a message from Japanese Naval History authorities to the effect that there were no Japanese submarines operating in the Manus area at the time of the explosion, including midget submarines.)

The Mt Hood was not the only AE believed to have been torpedoed in WW2. On January 12, 1945, while anchored in Ulithi Atoll, the USS Mazama (AE-9) was struck by a Japanese torpedo. Number one hold had 5300 tons of ammo. The number one hold was secured and the ship lived to fight another day. There was no ammunition explosion. (related by Walter Brooker, Warren McMath and Ed Schubel, 43-45)

The View from USS Piedmont- a Destroyer Tender

"On the morning of 10 November, while anchored in Seeadler Harbor, Piedmont heard two explosions to port. Mount Hood (AE-11), lying about 3,500 yards away, had blown up. No trace of Mount Hood remained. Between Mount Hood and Piedmont, Mindanao (ARG-3) was anchored and took terrible punishment from the explosion. Fire and rescue parties were immediately dispatched from Piedmont to Mindanao and ships alongside her. Though Piedmont suffered only superficial damage from the explosion, numerous 5-inch projectiles and steel fragments flew over Mindanao and landed on Piedmont's decks and superstructure, most of them ricocheting off. One man suffered fatal injuries from a direct hit by the base of a 5-inch shell. One 250 pound aerial bomb penetrated the movie locker on the boat deck while another pierced the forecastle and plowed through a tier of bunks. Fortunately neither bomb exploded and remarkably enough, personnel in both compartments escaped injury."

An Eye-Witness Account:

At 0850, local time, on 10 November 1944, USS Argonne lay moored to a buoy in Berth 14, Seeadler Harbor, when USS Mount Hood (AE-11) (Ammunition Ship-11) blew up, 1,100 yards away. "At the time of the explosion," wrote USS Argonne's captain, Commander T. H. Escott, "I was standing outside my cabin...in conversation with the executive officer. By the time we had recovered our stance from the force of the explosion, and faced outboard, the area in the vicinity of Berth 380 (where USS Mount Hood had lay moored) was completely shrouded in a pall of dense black smoke. It was not possible to see anything worth reporting. A second or so thereafter, fragments of steel and shrapnel began falling on and around this ship."

Some 221 pieces of debris, ranging in size from one to 150 pounds, were recovered on board, totalling 1,300 pounds. Several other pieces caromed off USS Argonne's port side into the water alongside, and others landed on YF-681 (Freight Lighter-681) and YO-77 (Oil Barge -77), the latter alongside delivering fuel oil at the time. USS Mindanao (ARG-3) (Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship-3), suffered heavily, moored in a berth between the disintegrating ammunition ship and USS Argonne. Riddled with shrapnel, USS Mindanao suffered 23 killed and 174 wounded in the explosion. USS Argonne suffered casualties, too, as well as the destruction of a 12-inch searchlight, five transmitting antennas broken away, and steam, fresh-water, and salt-water lines ruptured...as well as extensive damage from concussion. (Source: USS Argonne Web Site)

Another Eyewitness View:

From Hardy Pratt, reproduced from the Marcus Island Reunion Association page, www.marcusisland.com:

THE MT. HOOD EXPLOSION

On November 3, 1944, we had returned to Manus Island and Seeadler harbor following the Leyte Gulf action. On 10 November, two of us were taking a smoke break from CIC. We were on the starboard catwalk, just forward of the Island. I was leaning on the railing and staring out at nothing in particular. Then there was a tremendous explosion and cloud of smoke. It was about two miles (guesstimate) from us. We were to learn that it was the ammunition ship, Mt. Hood. We were told that there were eight survivors...all on a mail party on Manus.

It was really something to witness. Simultaneously, with the explosion, we saw a motor whaleboat get turned a full 90 degrees from its course. The explosion sent debris and 4' X 8' steel plates perhaps 2000 feet in the air. The stuff fluttered down like they were mere matchbox pieces. The cloud that it produced was similar to we what were to later recognize as the signature "mushroom cloud" identified with the atom bomb. We knew that other ships, anchored near her had to have been seriously damaged and perhaps even some Island facilities as well. We wondered where all the debris would land and what damage it would cause.

To my knowledge, it was never discovered what caused the explosion, but there was no inference as to enemy involvement. I often wonder who was with me at that time? Perhaps Robert Rainville, I'm not sure. I do know that there are many others who saw the happening and, like me, will remember it well. It represented a great loss of human life. It makes you wonder what type of person crews on an ammunition ship? They surely possess a brand of courage that I lack. If I were serving on board an ammunition ship, I'd have the perpetual "Don Knots" shakes.

Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:
www.history.navy.mil
www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/3535/mthood.html
www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/AE/ae11.html

1 posted on 03/12/2004 3:36:30 AM PST by snippy_about_it

THE USS MOUNT HOOD EXPLOSION - November 10, 1944:

On the morning of November 10, 1944 the USS MOUNT HOOD stood at duty in Steeadler Harbor on Manus Island, which is North East of New Guinea in the South Pacific.

The ship was delivering and receiving ammunition for the 200 ships that lay in the harbor at that moment. Sailors were working in all 5 holds at the time. The ship was full of 13,910 tons of ammunition which included bombs, projectiles, fixed ammunition, rockets mortars and depth charges.

Suddenly there appeared a small explosion near the middle of the ship that was quickly followed by an enormous explosion. The radius of the smoke was 1,000 feet and the smoke quickly rose to a heigth of 7,000 feet.

The explosion caused damage to ships as far away as 2,000 yards and at least 30 of the nearby ships were damaged by the blast and flying ammunition. Major ships that were damaged were the USS ARGONNE, USS YMS-340, USS MINDANAO, USS ALHENA AND USS OBERRENDER.

Nothing remained of the ship. It was later determined that the blast tore a hole in the sea bottom 85 feet deep, 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide.

382 sailors were killed and 371 injured on all effected ships. Needless to say no one survived aboard the USS MOUNT HOOD.

A court of inquiry later determined that the blast was most likely caused by "rough handling" of the ammunition. At least one witness said he saw a Japanese two-man submarine surface and fire a torpedo into the MOUNT HOOD. However, the court of inquiry never found evidence of that and the Japanese state that none of their submarines were in the area at that time.

2 posted on 03/12/2004 3:37:59 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

USS Mount Hood enjoyed but a very short life, this 13,910 ton ammunition ship was built in North Carolina at Wilmington, then converted for Naval service at Norfolk Virginia in July 1944. She then transited the Panama Canal in August, loaded with ammunition for the forces fighting in the Pacific. On the morning of the 10th. of November 1944, the ship was moored at the massive forward base of Manus in the Admiralty Islands.

At that stage of the Pacific war, this base was at the crossroads to the world, sitting almost on the equator, both the Leyte and Lingayen landings had staged from here in October and December 1944.

Mount Hood's cargo of explosives suddenly detonated with a massive blast, and the ship was totally destroyed, killing all on board or working the ship at the time. Damage and casualities to both Mount Hood and ships anchored up to 2,000 yards away were massive, 45 dead, 327 missing and another 371 injured.

On the day in question, ammunition was both being received on board and delivered to other ships, all five holds were being worked at the same time. About 3,800 tons of assorted ammunition was onboard, and included:- bombs, projectiles, fixed ammunition rockets, smokeless powder, aerial depth bombs, and nose fuses. Torpex filled depth bombs were being hoisted onboard.

Cause of accident?

Enemy action was ruled at as a cause of this disaster, the most probable reason for the explosion appears to have been rough handling of ammunition being loaded or unloaded, and it seems likely that the accident was caused by the detonation of Torpex filled Depth bombs being loaded into number 4 and 5 holds. Detonation could have been set off with a bomb on its way down to a hold striking a hatch, or the careless dropping of it into a hold.

The explosion.

Eye witness reports indicated that at first a small explosion about the size a small bomb might make was observed, a few seconds later, the main explosion followed, flame and smoke extended for about 100 feet in radius, and quickly rose to 7,000 feet.

Other Ships in Harbour.

The main naval fleets were all absent at the time of this horrific explosion, but some 200 other ships were in harbour, mostly auxiliaries, cargo ships, transports, depot ships and tankers etc.

Report of Midget Submarine.

Carl Hughes on board the Liberty ship William Mc Guffey reported seeing a 2 man Midget Submarine fire a torpedo into Mount Hood, but post war, theJapanese Naval authorities have denied any Midget Submarine operated in the Manus area at the time of this explosion on the 10th. of November in 1944.

Conclusion.

The official inquiry ruled out enemy action as the reason for Mount Hood's destruction, it does seem that careless handling of a torpex filled depth bomb was the real culprit for this terrible accident, destroying a ship only 4 months old with a great loss of life.

3 posted on 03/12/2004 3:39:36 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

To: Don W; Poundstone; Wumpus Hunter; StayAt HomeMother; Ragtime Cowgirl; bulldogs; baltodog; ...

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

It's Friday, Good Morning Everyone.

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

4 posted on 03/12/2004 3:41:46 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization.

Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

Thanks to CholeraJoe for providing this link.

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

Thanks to quietolong for providing this link.

Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

5 posted on 03/12/2004 3:42:23 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; All

Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. —Habakkuk 2:4

Lord, grant me grace throughout this day
To walk the straight and narrow way,
To do whatever in Thy sight
Is good and perfect, just and right.

The only right way is the straight and narrow way.

6 posted on 03/12/2004 3:43:46 AM PST by The Mayor (There is no such thing as insignificant service for Christ.)

Good morning Mayor. First one in today and the coffee is highly appreciated this morning.

7 posted on 03/12/2004 3:51:15 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

To: snippy_about_it

enjoying my first cup myself.

Winter has returned here, snowing and cold....

22 degrees, Burrrrr....

8 posted on 03/12/2004 3:55:03 AM PST by The Mayor (There is no such thing as insignificant service for Christ.)

Same here Mayor. 18 degrees with an icy north wind. Should get up to 32. Brrrr and Grrrr!

9 posted on 03/12/2004 4:45:43 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

To: snippy_about_it; The Mayor

I never thought anyone would have worse weather than Montana. 22 and clear, headed for a high in the 50's.

10 posted on 03/12/2004 6:04:39 AM PST by CholeraJoe (All I want to do is be more like me and be less like you.)

Good morning CJ. Ohio weather is generally awful no matter what season.

11 posted on 03/12/2004 6:18:31 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; All

Good morning everyone.

12 posted on 03/12/2004 6:25:02 AM PST by Soaring Feather (~ I do Poetry and party among the stars~)

To: snippy_about_it

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

OUr ISP had server problems this morning, that's why I was late in arriving.

Congrats to OU on winning their first round game in the Big 12 in Dallas. Good luck to OSU today.

13 posted on 03/12/2004 6:37:01 AM PST by E.G.C.

To: snippy_about_it

GM, snippy!

free the southland,sw

14 posted on 03/12/2004 7:17:25 AM PST by stand watie (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God. -T. Jefferson)

To: snippy_about_it

Birthdates which occurred on March 12:
1336 Eduard Duke of Gelre (1361-71) husband of Catharina of Bayern
1479 Giuliano de' Medici monarch of Florence
1710 Thomas Augustine Arne English composer (Alfred, Rule Britannia)
1806 Jane Means Appleton Pierce 1st lady-Franklin Pierce (1853-57)
1816 David Stuart Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
1818 John Lorimar Worden Captain (Union Navy), died in 1897
1823 William Flank Perry Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1901
1827 John Robert Jones Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1901
1827 William Richard Terry Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1897
1830 William Felix Brantley Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1870
1831 Clement Studebaker automobile pioneer (Studebaker)
1832 Charles Boycott Ireland, estate manager/caused boycotts
1838 William Perkin inventor (1st artificial dye)
1862 Jane Delano US, nurse/teacher/founder (Red Cross)
1881 Daniel Webster Hoan Wisconsin (Mayor-Socialist-Milwaukee)
1881 Kemal Atatürk 1st President of Republic of Turkey
1890 Vaslav Nijinsky Ukrainian/US ballet dancer (Petroesjka)
1896 Jesse "Lone Cat" Fuller San Francisco Blues Great
1910 Tony "Two-Ton" Galento Orange NJ, boxer/actor (On the Waterfront)
1921 Gordon MacRae East Orange NJ, singer/actor (Oklahoma, Carousel)
1922 Jack Kerouac Beat writer (Dharma Bums, On the Road, Mexico Blues)
1923 Walter M Schirra Jr Hackensack NJ, Captain USN/astronaut (Mercury 8, Gemini 6, Apollo 7)
1925 Harry [Maxwell] Harrison UK, sci-fi author (Deathworld Trilogy)
1925 Louison Bobet French cyclist (Tour de France 1953-55)
1927 Mstislav Rostropovich Baku Russia, conductor/cellist (Cello Concerto)
1928 Edward Albee Washington DC, playwright (Virginia Woolfe, Zoo Story)
1931 William "Buckwheat" Thomas actor (Little Rascals)
1932 Andrew Young US ambassador to UN (1977-79)/(Mayor-Democrat-Atlanta)
1936 Lloyd Dobbins Newport News VA, newscaster (NBC News Overnight)
1942 Paul Kantner San Francisco CA, rock singer/guitarist (Jefferson Airplane-White Rabbit, Somebody To Love)
1942 Salvatore "the Bull" Gravano mobster (testified against Gotti)
1946 Liza Minnelli Hollywood CA, singer/actress (Sterile Cuckoo, Cabaret)
1948 James Taylor Boston MA, vocalist/guitarist (Sweet Baby James)
1948 Kent Conrad (Senator-D-ND)
1949 Bill Payne Waco TX, rock keyboardist (Little Feat-Time Loves a Hero)
1950 Jon Provost actor (Timmy-Lassie)
1957 Marlon D Jackson Gary IN, singer (Jackson 5-Maybe Tomorrow)
1960 Courtney B Vance Detroit MI, actor (Hamburger Hill)
1962 Darryl Strawberry Los Angeles CA, right fielder (New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees)
1963 John Andretti race car driver

Deaths which occurred on March 12:
0417 Innocent I Italian Pope (401-417), dies
0604 Gregory I the Great Pope (590-604), dies at 64
1209 Djamal al-din Abu Mohammed Iljas Nizami Persian poet, dies
1507 Cesare Borgia cardinal/soldier/politician, killed in battle at 31
1628 John Bull thought to have composed British national anthem (God Save The King), dies
1834 Karl W Feuerbach mathematician (circle of Feuerbach), dies at 33
1888 Henry Bergh founder (ASPCA), dies at 76
1914 George Westinghouse US engineer (Westinghouse Electric), dies at 67
1925 Sun Yat-Sen Chinese revolutionary president, dies at 58
1945 Anne Frank diarist (Diary of Anne Frank), killed in Belsen Camp
1955 Charlie "Bird" Parker US jazz saxophonist, dies in New York NY at 34
1973 Frankie "Fordham Flash" Frisch baseball player, dies at 74
1978 John Cazale actor (Dog Day Afternoon, Deer Hunter), dies at 41
1985 Eugene Ormandy [Blau] Hungarian/US conductor, dies at 85
1993 June Valli singer (Crying in the Chapel), dies of cancer at 62

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 ADRIAN JOSEPH D.---RIVER EDGE NJ.
1967 CLARK JOHN W.---COLUMBIA MO.
[02/18/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1967 GOODRICH EDWIN R.---OLEAN NY.
[REMAINS RETURNED 08/14/85]
1968 GRIFFITH JOHN GARY---KANSAS CITY MO.
1968 KOLLMANN GLENN E.---DALY CITY CA.
1968 ROGERS EDWARD F.---ROSLINDALE MA.
1969 ROBINSON FLOYD H.---BURLINGTON KS.
1970 SCULL GARY B.---CEDAR RAPIDS IA.
1971 JEFFS CLIVE G.---SALT LAKE CITY UT.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
0417 St Innocent I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0604 St Gregory I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1000 Odo of Lagery elected as Pope Urban II, replacing Victor III
1054 Pope Leo IX escapes captivity & returns to Rome
1144 Gherardo Caccianemici elected Pope Lucius II, succeeding Callistus II
1350 Orvieto city says it will behead & burn Jewish-Christian couples
1365 University of Vienna founded
1496 Jews are expelled from Syria
1587 English parliament leader Peter Wentworth confined in London Tower
1609 Bermuda becomes an English colony
1619 Dutch settlement on Java changes name to Batavia
1622 Ignatius of Loyola declared a saint
1664 New Jersey becomes a British colony
1689 Former English King James II lands in Ireland
1737 Galileo's body moved to Church of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy
1755 1st steam engine in America installed, to pump water from a mine
1773 Jeanne Baptiste Pointe de Sable found settlement now known as Chicago
1789 US Post Office established
1799 Austria declares war on France
1848 2nd republic established in France
1849 1st gold seekers arrive in Nicaragua en route to California
1850 1st US $20 gold piece issued
1860 Congress accepts Pre-emption Bill; free land in West for colonists
1865 Affair near Lone Jack MO
1867 Last French troops leave Mexico
1868 Congress abolishes manufacturer's tax
1868 Great Britain annexes Basutoland in Africa
1877 Great Britain annexes Walvis Bay at Cape colony
1884 Mississippi establishes 1st US state college for women
1888 2nd day of the Great blizzard of '88 in northeast US (400 die)
1894 Pittsburgh issues free season tickets for ladies on Tuesday & Friday
1900 President Steyn of Orange-Free state flees from Bloemfontein
1901 Ground is broken for Boston's 1st American League ballpark (Huntington Ave Grounds)
1903 New York Highlanders (Yankees) approved as members of American League
1904 Andrew Carnegie establishes Carnegie Hero Fund
1912 Captain Albert Berry performs 1st parachute jump from an airplane
1912 Girl Guides (Girl Scouts) founded in Savannah, by Juliette Gordon Low
1916 French airship sinks British submarine D3
1917 Russian Dumas sets up Provisional Committee; workers set up Soviets
1917 Stalin, Kamenev & Muranov arrive in St Petersburg
1925 British government of Baldwin refuses to ratify Geneva agreement
1926 Denmark begins unilateral disarmament
1930 Mohandas Gandhi begins 200 mile (321 km) march protesting British salt tax
1933 FDR conducts his 1st "fireside chat"
1934 Josip Broz (Tito) freed from jail
1935 England establishes 30 MPH speed limit for towns & villages
1938 Nazi Germany invades Austria (Anschluss)
1939 Pope Pius XII crowned in Vatican ceremonies
1940 Finland surrenders to Russia during WWII, giving up Karelische Isthmus
1945 30 Amsterdammers executed by Nazi occupiers
1945 Italy's Communist Party (CPI) calls for armed uprising in Italy
1945 New York is 1st to prohibit discrimination by race & creed in employment
1945 The British Empire celebrates its 1st British Empire Day
1945 USSR returns Transylvania to Romania
1947 President Truman introduces Truman-doctrine to fight communism
1948 -5ºF lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in March
1950 Pope Pius XII encyclical "On combating atheistic propaganda"
1951 Communist troops driven out of Seoul
1956 Dow Jones closes above 500 for 1st time (500.24)
1957 German Democratic Republic accepts 22 Russian divisions
1958 British Empire Day is renamed "Commonwealth Day"
1959 US House joins Senate approving Hawaii statehood
1963 Bob Dylan cancels "Ed Sullivan Show" television appearance
1964 Jimmy Hoffa sentenced to 8 years
1964 Malcolm X resigns from Nation of Islam
1964 WKAB TV channel 32 in Montgomery AL (ABC) begins broadcasting
1966 Bobby Hull's 51st goal of season, sets record
1967 Austria's Reinhold Bachler ski jumps 505 feet
1967 Indonesian congress deprives President Sukarno of authority
1968 Mauritius gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1969 Paul McCartney marries Linda Louise Eastman in London
1970 US lowers voting age from 21 to 18
1971 Syrian premier Hafez Assad "elected" President
1971 Turkish Government of Demirel forced to resign by Army
1972 NHL great Gordie Howe retires after 26 seasons
1974 Bundy victim Donna Manson disappears, Evergreen SC, Olympia WA
1975 Vietcong conquer Ban me Thuot South Vietnam
1976 South African troops leave Angola
1977 Chile President Pinochet bans Christian-Democratic Party
1977 Egypt's Anwar Sadat pledges to regain Arab territory from Israel
1978 Eric Heiden skates world record 1000 meter (1:14.99)
1980 Jury finds John Wayne Gacy guilty of murdering 33 in Chicago
1981 Walter R T Witschey installs world's largest sundial, Richmond VA
1984 British ice dancing team, Torvill & Dean, become 1st skaters to receive 9 perfect 6.0s in world championships
1984 National Union of Mine Workers in England begin a 51 week strike
1985 Larry Bird scores Boston Celtic record 60 points
1986 210.25 million shares traded in New York Stock Exchange
1986 Giotto encounters Comet Halley
1986 Susan Butcher wins 1,158 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
1987 "Les Miserables" opens at Broadway/Imperial NYC for 4000+ performances
1990 Los Angeles Raiders announce they were returning to Oakland
1993 317 killed by bomb attacks in Bombay
1993 Inkhata leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi begins 2½ week speech
1994 Church of England ordains 1st 33 women priests

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

British Commonwealth : Commonwealth Day (formerly British Empire Day)
Gabon : Renovation Day (National Day)
Lesotho : Moshoeshoe's Day
Libya : King's Birthday
Mauritius : Independence Day (1968)
Venezuala : Flag Day
World : Girl Scouts Day (1912)
World : World Culture Day (non Leap year)
Memphis TN : Cotton Carnival (held for 5 days)(Tuesday)
New Mexico : Arbor Day (Friday)
US : Women's Get-Away Weekend Begins
US : Aardvark Week (Day 6)
National Pothole Month

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Ss Peters Gorgonius & Dorothheus
Christian : Feast of St Alphege of Winchester
Christian : Feast of St Bernard of Capua
Christian : Feast of St Maximilian of Theveste
Christian : Feast of St Paul Aurelian of Leon
Christian : Feast of St Seraphina/Fina & St Theophanes the Chronicler
Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican : Commemoration of St Gregory I the Great, pope (590-604)

Religious History
1607 Birth of Paul Gerhardt, German clergyman and hymnwriter. He lost four of his five children in childhood, yet also composed over 130 hymns, including "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded." (Gerhardt's music marks the transition in Lutheran hymnody from confessional and high_church hymns to hymns of devotional piety.)
1622 Gregory XV canonized Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits; Philip Neri, Italian co_founder of a medical religious order; Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Carmelite nun; and Francis Xavier, the Jesuit "Apostle of Eastern Asia."
1710 Birth of Thomas A. Arne, considered one of the outstanding English composers of the 18th century. Today, Arne is best remembered for his hymn tune ARLINGTON, to which we commonly sing, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?"
1826 Birth of Robert Lowery, American Baptist clergyman and hymnwriter. He is chiefly remembered today for writing and composing the hymns "Christ Arose," "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus," "We're Marching to Zion," "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" and "I Need Thee Every Hour."
1904 Raphael Hawaweeny was ordained Eastern Orthodox bishop of Brooklyn, NY, at St. Nicholas Church. As a vicar under the Holy Synod of the Church of Russia, Hawaweeny thus became the first Russian Orthodox bishop ordained in America.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"Things could be worse. Suppose your errors were counted and published every day, like those of a baseball player."

Word of the day...
glacket (glk't)
(n.) The noisy ball inside a spray-paint can.

New State Slogans...
Maryland: If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It

Amazing Fact # 567,991...
The Union ironclad, Monitor, was the first U.S. ship to have a flush toilet.

15 posted on 03/12/2004 7:31:33 AM PST by Valin (Hating people is like burning down your house to kill a rat)

To: snippy_about_it

Having investigated several explosions and being personally in ammo dumps when they were blowing up, let me say this, "It is very evident that something bad is going on".

What seems to do the most damage is stuff coming back down instead of the actual blast. You see some weird things also. I have seen people literally blown to bits by only 1/4 pounds of explosive and on the other hand, at Radford Army Ammo Plant, we had an operator of a building less than 40 feet away from 12,000lbs of TNT that went. He was back to work in about three weeks due to burns he got before the explosion. In the same explosion we had buildings knocked down 1/4 mile away and two ton nitrators blown over a mile.

16 posted on 03/12/2004 7:50:29 AM PST by U S Army EOD (Volunteer for EOD and you will never have to worry about getting wounded.)

I am sure it was used a lot when they got in the storm off Cape Hatteras

17 posted on 03/12/2004 7:52:08 AM PST by U S Army EOD (Volunteer for EOD and you will never have to worry about getting wounded.)

To: snippy_about_it

Morning Snippy.

More proof that any job in the Military is potentially dangerous. The MT. HOOD disaster also shows that once hazaradous work becomes routine the chnaces for accidents goes up.

We have had the namesake of the MT HOOD come in as part of the Rose Festival Fleet every year. Last I heard she was decommissioned a few years back. :-(

18 posted on 03/12/2004 8:06:49 AM PST by SAMWolf (John Kerry is not indecisive and wishy-washy. He consistantly gives aid and comfort to our enemies.)

19 posted on 03/12/2004 8:07:24 AM PST by SAMWolf (John Kerry is not indecisive and wishy-washy. He consistantly gives aid and comfort to our enemies.)

Morning CholearJoe. Sounds like you're having our weather today.

20 posted on 03/12/2004 8:08:23 AM PST by SAMWolf (John Kerry is not indecisive and wishy-washy. He consistantly gives aid and comfort to our enemies.)

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