Wreck of USS Mississinewa (AO-59)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, tanker (ship), United States Navy

While anchored Ulithi Atoll on the morning of November 20, 1944, the Cimarron Class Oiler USS Mississinewa was struck on her Port bow by a Japanese "kaiten" manned torpedo, launched by a nearby Japanese 'mother' Submarine.

Having just returned from Manus Island fully laden with both heavy fuel oil and aviation fuel, the Mississinewa was rocked by several large order detonations immediately after the torpedo explosion as fumes from her cargo ignited and was quickly wreathed in a pool of burning oil. Taking an immediate list to Port and settling by the bow, Mississinewa's crew struggled in vain to confront and control the rapidly spreading fires forward as Fleet Tugs from Ulithi Anchorage closed to lend assistance, but within minutes flames began to cook off ready anti-aircraft ammunition. With flames reaching 100ft high steadily moving aft on the ship and ammunition explosions sending hails of bullets in all directions, the order was passed for all surviving crew to abandon ship as support vessels arrived onscene.

External firefighting efforts continued on the furiously burning Oiler through the morning of the 20th, however the ships increasing list to Port eventually rolled the Mississinewa onto her side where she slowly flooded and sank at 0900hrs. Musters taken of her crew would later reveal that 63 men, mainly those stationed in the berths located in the ship's bow, were lost in the attack and sinking, which would go down in history as the first successful use of the Kaiten by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Largely forgotten and unlocated after the end of World War Two, the Mississinewa's wreck was rediscovered in 2001 after it began to leak out some of the 2,800,000 gallons of oil thought to be in her tanks. Found lying inverted in 130ft of water, the Mississinewa became the subject of an intensive effort by the US Navy Supervisor of Salvage & Diving in 2001-2002 to remove the remaining oil held aboard the ship before her aging hull gave out and caused a catastrophic oil spill.

Utilizing a hot-tap pumping system, US Navy salvage divers drilled 20 individual taps in the Mississinewa's tanks and proceeded to safely remove all 1,950,000 gallons of oil remaining in the wreck in February 2003, after which the ship was deemed to no longer pose an environmental hazard. Today, the wreck of the Mississinewa has become a popular dive site and is a designated war grave for the 63 men still aboard ship.

www.ussmississinewa.com/home.html
www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19059.htm