71 years ago today, November 10, 1944, we lost a great number of men when the USS Mount Hood (AE-11), an ammunition ship anchored at Seeadler Harbor of Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, exploded. The numbers lost that day vary quite a bit from several different sources, as high as 432 deaths are reported. The cause is also not agreed upon, by official reports, survivors and eyewitnesses. Poor protocol, torpedoes and a kamikaze(reported by two eyewitnesses) are among those listed.
While we may not know definitively, why it exploded, or even the exact number of men lost, we do know that they need to be remembered and honored for their service and sacrifice. It was a tremendous loss. Countless lives were affected by this incredible disaster. I read one account of a 90 year old widow, suffering from Alzheimer disease who could recall very little of her life, except, according to her son, her 18 year old husband who died that day, who she remembers fondly.
The explosion of the USS Mount Hood was tremendous. It damaged or destroyed 90 ships in the area. Many were killed and injured on those ships as well. The following chart was taken from an official report filed in December of 1944.
Let us be thankful for these men. Let us honor these men. Let us never forget these men.
| Ship | Extent of Damage (Estimated man hours required to effect repairs) | Known Dead | Missing | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Hood (AE-11) | Destroyed | 1 | 295 | 1 |
| Mindanao (ARG-3) | 48,000 | 23 | 174 | |
| Oberrender (De-344) | 6,200 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Alhena (AKA-9) | 3,500 | 3 | 56 | |
| YMS-293 | 13,200 | 2 | 13 | |
| YMS-238 | 10,000 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| YMS-49 | 8,700 | 1 | 12 | |
| YMS-340 | 1,837 | 1 | 10 | |
| YMS-286 | *Serious | 12 | ||
| YMS-243 | 1,424 | 12 | ||
| Cebu (ARG-6) | 841 | 5 | 6 | |
| YMS-39 | 42 | |||
| YMS-71 | 16 | 1 | ||
| YMS-81 | 150 | 3 | ||
| YMS-140 | *Minor | 4 | ||
| YMS-319 | 81 | |||
| YMS-335 | 60 | |||
| Potawatomi (ATF-109) | 45 | |||
| Piedmont (AD-17) | 1,400 | 1 | 3 | |
| Walter C. Mann (DE-412) | 2 | |||
| YMS-1 | 35 | 1 | ||
| Argonne (AG-31) | 150 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Cacapon (AO-52) | 325 | |||
| Abarenda (IX-131) | 225 | |||
| YF-681 | 3,520 | |||
| YMS-52 | 254 | 3 | ||
| YO-77 | 23 | 1 | ||
| Aries (AK-51) | 30 | |||
| Preserver (ARS-8) | 107 | |||
| Young (DD-580) | *Superficial | 1 | ||
| Self-propelled water barge | 1,000 | |||
| Kyne (DD-744) | *Superficial | 1 | ||
| Talbot (APD-7) | *Extensive minor | |||
| Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) | *Insignificant | |||
| Lyman (DE-302) | *Slight | |||
| 7 LCMs Boat Pool 15 | Destroyed | 19 | ||
| Pontoon Barge | Destroyed | |||
| LCM attached to USSSierra | Destroyed | 4 | ||
| LSM attached to USSBriareus | Destroyed | 3 | ||
| 13 small boats or craft | Sunk or damaged beyond repair | |||
| 33 small boats or craft | *Damaged | |||
| Section Base, Navy 3205 | 1 | 2 | ||
| YMS-39 | 2 | |||
| Petrof Bay (CVE-80) | 5 | |||
| YMS-342 | *Minor | |||
| TOTAL | 107,367 | 45 | 327 | 371 |
| * No estimate furnished. | ||||
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