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Explosion Aboard the Iowa | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard L. Schwoebel
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
Category: Book
List Price: $36.95
Buy Used: $8.93
You Save: $28.02 (76%)
New (12) Used (18) from $8.93
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 1106092
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 301
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 1557508100
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.123650973
EAN: 9781557508102
ASIN: 1557508100
Publication Date: April 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The explosion aboard the battleship Iowa in 1989 that killed forty-seven crewmen during a routine gunnery exercise was a tragedy not only for the family and friends of those who died but for the U.S. Navy, whose awkward attempts to determine a cause failed miserably. When navy investigators concluded that the explosion (in one of the warship's huge 16-inch guns) was not an accident but a deliberate act by a member of the crew who died in the blast, there was a public outcry. Congressional committees held hearings on the navy's findings and called for further investigation after serious flaws in the report were uncovered. Head of a technical team of independent investigators hired by the Senate Armed Services Committee, the author writes with an insider's perspective. Richard Schwoebel tells how investigators could find no conclusive evidence to support the navy's claim that a chemical ignition device improvised by a crewman had set off the explosion. But what his team did find were critical safety deficiencies in the Iowa's gun systems, and he clearly defines them in layman's terms. As only a participant could, he fully describes the investigation his organization conducted, and how that investigation demonstrated that the explosion was in all probability an accident. He also is quick to credit the heroism of the crew for saving the ship from further devastation following the explosion. The book's close examination of the key factors related to the explosion will fascinate even those readers not familiar with the controversy and provides a case against self-assessments in any branch of the military. Schwoebel's concerns about the indiscriminate release of unsubstantiated information from unidentified sources and about the need for changes in military law that relate to due process for deceased service personnel accused of serious crimes are useful words of warning for the future.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Thank You! June 8, 2002
Kathleen Hartwig-Kubicina (Brook Park, Ohio USA)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The family of GMG2 Clayton Michael Hartwig USN would like to express their sincere thanks and appreciation for your help in removing all doubt and clearing the reputation and memory of our loving son, brother and uncle.
 Moral Cowardice June 20, 1999
13 out of 21 found this review helpful
This book is more than a technical problem and its resolution. The book provides a window into the lack of moral courage by senior naval officers to address an issue involving the wellbeing of the american sailor. Basicly, the navy could not identify a techincal cause for the explosion so it must be a sailor's fault. Thus find a victum to hang the cause on and what better way than to point a finger at a "queer". ( Queer = anyone whose lifestyle is not in keeping with the excepted standard as interpeted by Senior Naval Officers.) So the reputation of a sailor is destroyed and the 16 in. guns can continue to fire. The final result of the incident aboard the Iowa is the realization by sailors that the U.S.Navy will not hesitate to debase the honor and reputation of an individual within the Navy so long as the "mission" is accomplished.The Navy now wonders why the re-enlistment rate is so poor!
Excellent scientific reporting of an unavoidable accident!! May 16, 1999
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
I did not see any reference to a reliability (failure mode and effects, fault tree determination, etc.) analysis requested by and performed for the Navy here in San Diego in the summer of 1990. This analysis agreed with the conclusion that the ramming of the powder bags was most likely accidental (due to certain shortcomings in the rammer hydraulic system), occurred at the higher projectile ramming speed of 13.9 ft/sec, and was probably caused by particle contamination of the fluid in the hydraulic system of the rammer. Were the results of these efforts (report) witheld from the author? I would be interested in knowing this and it would not surprise me at all if that indeed had happened!
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