NORFOLK, Va. — Friday marks the 30th Anniversary of the tragic explosion aboard the USS Iowa. To remember the 47 fallen sailors, friends and family came together at Naval Station Norfolk.
Each of their names was read aloud, and a ceremonial ship's bell was tolled.
"The tragedy of the 47 lives lost, the tragedy of the hole in those families, the families that never got started, the grand-kids that never happened, the lives that never happened," said former Iowa Commanding Officer Larry Sequest.
While operating off Puerto Rico, the Number two turret of the 1942-vintage battleship exploded, it took 80 minutes to bring the fire under control, 8 hours to completely put it out.
After an initially botched investigation that called it an intentional act of sabotage by a supposedly suicidal crew member, the Navy eventually blamed an accidental over-ram of gun powder in the breach of the 16-inch gun.
For those that were there that day, it seems like it was just yesterday.
"It seems like it just happened," said former Iowa sailor Noah Melendez. "You never forget your friends."
Former Iowa sailor Brian Watson said this day is not easy.
"It's something you will never ever be able to, even if you wanted to, let it go," he said. "You can't because they're with us all the time," he said.
Former Iowa sailor Force Master Chief Steven Timmons said his shipmates must always be remembered.
"Those 47 sailors who aren't here with us physically, they're here with us spiritually," he said. "Don't forget them. They're not forgotten."
The Iowa accident ranks seventh in terms of lives lost in modern peace-time naval mishaps. The worst such disaster took place on April 26, 1952, when the destroyer USS Hobson collided with the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, killing 176 sailors. It is the greatest loss of life on a US Navy ship since World War II.