50 Years Ago Today – Mullinnix Departs Barcelona, Spain

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

With the majority of the crew well rested (some had trouble walking), she steamed out of the harbor on 26 April, heading back to Sardinia. In the wee hours of the midwatch an unidentified surface contact turned out to be USS Grant County LST-1174, a De Soto County-class tank landing ship commissioned in late 1957 and named after counties in fifteen states. She will be the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name Grant County. USS Fremont APA-44 and USS Waldo County LST-1163 joined the formation a couple hours later. That afternoon she anchored in Sardinis near:

• USS Pocono AGC-16
• USS Seal Owl SS-405
• USS Exploit MSO-440
• USS Observer MSO-461
• USS Affray MSO-511
• USS Alacrity MSO-520
• USS McCard DD-822

At 1500, USS McCard reported a fire aboard but required no assistance. Mullinnix got underway at 1658. By 28 April, Task Force 61 had grown to almost 30 ships. The group practiced ASW exercise for most of the morning. Mullinnix anchored back in Porto Scudo Bay at 1155 only to leave again at 1442 in order to patrol gunfire support area, returning to Sardinia at 1715. She left and returned twice to Sardinia on 29 April. The crew begin to wonder if they were practicing the Navy’s version of ping-pong. After several days of extensive fleet exercises Mullinnix anchored at Taormina Harbor, Taormina, Sicily at 0802 on 3 May.

To be continued...

Cheers,
Woody

50 Years Ago Today – Mullinnix Experiences a “Hang Fire” in MT 51

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

While conducting drone firing exercises on 7 April, the ship experienced a hang fire (a round stuck in the barrel) in MT 51. Hang-fire occurs when there is a delay beyond the normal ignition time after the initiating action is taken (eg. the gun fires 15 seconds after the firing key is closed). The mount had been firing for only 2 minutes, therefore it was considered a “cold gun" condition, where the gun barrel and chamber wall temperature have not been raised by prolonged firing to a point where “cook-off” can occur.

Extensive testing of the 5"/54 under continuous sustained firing conditions had shown cook off temperature is achieved in approximately 3 minutes.

Cook-off occurs when components of the gun reach a temperature high enough (e.g. “hot gun”) to cause some form of explosive reaction in the projectile. As long as the breech is closed, cook-off will cause the round to be fired in a near normal manner. However, with the breechblock open, cook-off usually results in personnel injuries/fatalities and major equipment damage.

Regulations require that the gun mount remain idle for two hours in a safe firing bearing to preclude danger to other craft and friendly forces in the event of a cook-off. With fully charged fire hoses at the ready, MT 51 was fired to starboard at 1253, with the casualty restored.

To be continued...

Cheers,

Woody