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Friday 14 July 2017

Fire broken out on board of American battleship USS South Dakota according to the Dutch newspaper Oprechte Haarlemsche courant dated 21 November 1940


An item reported that on board of the American battleship South Dakota under construction at Camden, New Jersey, USA a fire broken out in a hold. Drie labourers were missing, seven others choked in the smoke.(1)

Note
1. Part of the South Dakota-class consisting of the South Dakota, Massachusetts, Indiana and Alabama, preceded by the North Carolina-class and succeeded by the Iowa-class. The design process for this class started in March 1937 with the design for 2 battleships accepted by the Secretary of the Navy on 23 June and a more definitive version on 4 January 1938. Building ordered on 15 December 1938, laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, USA on 5 July 1939, launched by Harlan J. Bushfield on 7 June 1941, commissioned on 20 March 1942, decommissioned and laid up in reserve on 31 January 1947, stricken on 1 June 1962 and sold to the Lipsett Division of Luria Brothers&Company for 446.000 US dollars be broken up on 25 October 1962. Nicknamed Battleship X, SoDak and Old Nameless.