18-04-2025
Ceremony to mark 36 years since deadly explosion onboard USS Iowa
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A ceremony to mark 36 years since a gun turret explosion killed 47 Sailors onboard USS Iowa is expected to take place on Saturday.
Ceremony marks 35th anniversary of deadly explosion of USS Iowa
The ceremony is scheduled to be held on Naval Station Norfolk starting at 9:30 a.m.
The tragedy took place on April 19, 1989, when a gun turret on the battleship exploded while preparing for exercises off the coast of Puerto Rico. This remains one of the deadliest days in Navy history outside of wartime.
According to Naval History and Heritage Command, the Iowa was commissioned at New York Navy Yard in February of 1943. The battleship spent time in the pacific during World War II, participating in the Marshall campaign, Mariana campaign, Okinawa campaign and the Japanese surrender on Sept. 2, 1945.
After being officially decommissioned in 1990, the Iowa now sits at the Port of Los Angeles, California as a museum battleship.
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