Evening star., 1953-10-17

OAAS "ASNhoSC SOC uIlOCL way, LllG
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List Of Navy and Civiion Decd N
Carrier Blost. Poee A-3
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Navy announced a Board of In
quiry will convene Monday morn
ing to try to determine the cause
of the blast that has brought de-
mandS for quick investigation by
two Massachusetts, members of
Congress.
A Navy spokesman said any
investigation of possible civilian
sabotage is the province of the
FBI, which had no comment.
Representative Edith Nourse
Rogers, Republican, of Massa-
chuSetts, in a telegram to the
Secretary of the Navy, suggested
that special attention be given
to sabotage.
At Loss to Understand.
In message to Defense Sec
retary Wilson, Representative
Lane, Democrat, of MaSsachu-
SettS said he was at loss to
understand how such a tragedy
could occur in the naval ship
yard.
The area aboard the Leyte af-
fected by the explosion and fire
was closed off this forenoon to
both civilian workers and Navy
men pending the board of in
qulry survey on Monday.
The board of inquiry will meet
aboard the carrier.
Officials said the board will
question Navy men and civil
ianS who were aboard the craft
at the time of the disaster. The
civilians were engaged in over
haul operations.
There were more than 1,400
Navy men aboard and about so
civilians. The repair work was
nearly completed.
1,4OO Reported Aboard.
The blast occurred forward on
the port side of the big, 27,5OO-
ton carrier that cost 500 million
when she was launched at New
port News, Va, IN 1945. Unof-
f1cial reports said 1,400 officers
and men were on board when
tragedy struck.
1t was the worst Navy ex-
plosion in peacetime since 48
men died aboard the battleship
Mississippi off the California
coast June IL, 1924.
The 856-foot- long Leyte,
docked for overhaul after COM
bat action off Korea in October
December, 1850, came here last
December and was almost ready
to go to sea again. She had been
out for trial run Wednesday.
Cause Not Known.
The cause of the blast was not
known. The Leyte's skipper,
Capt. Thomas A. Ahroon. 46, Of
Norfolk, Va. in command of the
ship less than three weeks, said
the fire may have started on the
deck Immediately below the
hangar deck.
But he could not be sure, it
happened SO fast.
In his cabin when the blast
shook the ship-"a dull rumble
like subway train going
through"-Capt. Ahroon found
the second deck cut off by smoke
and climbed through an escape
hatch to the hangar deck.
Damage control and firefight-
ing parties already were in ac-
ton, he said.
Capt. Ahroon timed the explo-
sion at 3:15 pm. EST, and the
first fire alarm was sounded a
minute later. At 3:48 a second
alarm was sent in. More than so
Boston fire trucks and rescue
companies raced to the shipyard.
Virtually every available am
bulance in Boston-about rs
converged on the area as officials
discovered the extent of the
disaster. Civilian doctors and
nurses Joined Navy hospital
corpsmen from other vessels.
Hospitals rushed whole blood
and plaSma.
Taken to Three Hospitals.
The injured, many so charred
and battered as to make identi-
f1cation difficult, were taken to
City Hospital, to Carney Hospi-
tai in South Boston and to the
Naval hospital in Chelsea.
The fire was described by DR..
James w. Manary, ,Nsuperintend-
ent of Boston City Hospital, as
the city's worst disaster since the
(See LEYTE, Page A-3.)