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Kamikaze versus Ammunition Ship

In 1944, the Liberty ship SS John Burke was part of a convoy supplying the invasion of the Philippines. Hauling a load of ammunition for the Army, she was beset by a small kamikaze raid. Foul weather had precluded friendly air cover, and a single Aichi D3A Val dive bomber plunged into the John Burke.…

In 1944, the Liberty ship SS John Burke was part of a convoy supplying the invasion of the Philippines. Hauling a load of ammunition for the Army, she was beset by a small kamikaze raid. Foul weather had precluded friendly air cover, and a single Aichi D3A Val dive bomber plunged into the John Burke.

Moments later, the ammunition aboard exploded, and the entire ship,  and her entire crew, were lost.

Incredibly, this stunning explosion was caught on camera.

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Responses to “Kamikaze versus Ammunition Ship”

  1. timactual

    Crikey. Looks nuclear.

    Like

  2. SFC Dunlap 173d RVN

    Magic “bullet.”

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  3. Captain Ned

    @timactual:
    Probably 3-4 kiloton TNT equivalent there. Any blast that big looks “nuclear”.
    Liberty ships had about 10,000 ton (10 kiloton) cargo capacities.

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  4. George V

    You really have to respect the men (merchantmen, in many cases) who crewed the ammunition ships.

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  5. JoshO

    Holy moly. That’s gotta be a few kilotons right there at least, wow. Fun little side note, Navy ammo resupply ships are often named for volcanoes..

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