USS Mount Hood (AE-11)

Mystery Explosion

This photo captured the massive explosion of USS Mount Hood (AE-11) at Seeadler Harbor in the Admiralty Islands on 10 Nov 1944. The smoke trails are fragments from the 4000 tons of multiple types of shells, powder and other explosives on board the brand new ammunition supply ship. Although the disaster wasn't due to enemy fire, there was a big investigation by the US Navy. They never did determine a cause.

249 men on board Mt. Hood were instantly vaporised. However, 18 incredibly lucky men from her crew had gone ashore less than 30 minutes before the explosion. Two of them were taken to the brig for an unspecified court-martial proceeding, but the charges were dropped by the Navy after their ship exploded.

Meanwhile, USS Mindanao (ARG-3) was moored about 350 yards away and the repair ship was riddled. Mindanao recorded 82 of her crew killed with a further 98 injured. A total of 371 more injuries were reported on multiple ships in the area.

The explosion went over 7000 feet high, encompassing a blast radius of over 500 yards. It dug a trench in the ocean floor about 1000 feet long, 200 feet wide, 40 feet deep.

Source: WW2 Today