1960 — Aug 12, engineering area flash fire, minesweeper USS Exultant off Savannah GA– 5

–5 AP. “Ship Fire Kills 5 Navy Crewmen.” Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. 8-13-1960, p. 1.
–5 Dept. of the Navy, Naval Historical Center. Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps…” 2008

Narrative Information

Department of the Navy: “A flash fire in the engineering spaces of minesweeper USS Exultant (MSO-441) kills five off Savannah. 12 Aug. 1960.”

Newspaper

Aug 13: “Savannah, Ga. (AP) – A fire tore through the engine room of a Navy minesweeper at sea Friday night [Aug 12], killed five crewmen and crippled the 170-foot vessel.

“The U.S.S. Exultant, one day out of its home base at Charleston, S.C. and bound for Miami, Fla., was ripped by an explosion. A Navy spokesman at the Charleston Mineforce Base said today, however, there was no exp0losion aboard the Exultant – only a fire.

“The ship was about 70 miles southeast of Savannah when the fire burst out, reportedly from diesel oil spurting from a ruptured fuel line. The spokesman said the middle section of the ship, in which the engine room is located, was extensively damaged.

“The Exultant’s sister ships, the Sagacity and the Nimble, and the destroyer Cone were close by to give assistance. There were no reports if injuries to other crewmen.

“The Exultant was taken in tow by the Nimble about midnight about six hours after the accident and was being towed into Savannah. She was expected to arrive about noon….Arrangement were to be made for berthing the Exultant’s four officers and 60 crewmen at Hunter Air Force Base. The Exultant normally carries a crew of 76. She has a wooden hull, a safety measure for minesweepers to prevent their detonating magnetic mines. The Exultant was launched in 1953 and commissioned at Charleston June 22, 1954.” (Associated Press. “Ship Fire Kills 5 Navy Crewmen.” Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. 8-13-1960, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Ship Fire Kills 5 Navy Crewmen.” Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. 8-13-1960, p. 1. Accessed 11-17-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/thomasville-times-enterprise-aug-13-1960-p-1/

Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center. Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action (webpage). 2008. Accessed 11-17-2022 at: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/NHC/accidents.htm