USS Corry (DD-463)

Last page of Corry Loss of Ship Report


 
 

From the front page onward, the final official loss of ship report for the Corry states outright several times that the Corry struck a mine. Only on the last page of the report, however, does it clarify that the basis for the mine is speculation because of the strong concussion effect that occurred when the ship was hit (it implies that heavy artillery projectiles exploding amidships at point blank range would not have caused a strong concussion effect). Initial battle reports detail that a salvo of two or three heavy caliber artillery projectiles detonated in the forward fire room and forward engine room (engineering spaces) below the water level and caused the sinking. The last page of the official report does not mention what type of shells hit the ship, but declares the shellfire that hit (salvo of heavy caliber projectiles) as having caused "merely incidental damage" to the Corry. In any event, the physical evidence—the direction men were thrown when the Corry was hit—refutes a mine explosion under the engineering spaces as stated in the final official report.

 

Read about the concussion effect of a salvo of heavy caliber projectiles.

USS Corry (DD-463) Home Page