An American LST-480 landing ship after the explosion at Pearl Harbor in May 1944.
On May 21, 1944, at 15:00 for an unknown reason, an explosion occurred on the USS LST-353 landing ship, loaded with military equipment and fuel for the landing on the Mariana Islands. After that, a series of explosions occurred on moored side-to-side other ships of the same type, also preparing for dispatch. The fire stopped after 24 hours. As a result, out of 29 ships standing nearby: 6 ships (LST-39, LST-43, LST-69, LST-179, LST-353, and LST-480) sank and were decommissioned, 4 received serious damage, some of the ships sat down stranded; 163 people died, 396 were injured. This incident was classified until 1960.
LST-480 amphibious assault ship photo source: Library of Congress.
Location: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States
Photo time: May 22, 1944