On this day in 1943, a U.S. Navy destroyer accidentally torpedoes the battleship USS Iowa,
On this day in 1943, a U.S. Navy destroyer accidentally torpedoes the battleship USS Iowa, then ferrying Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic. Perhaps you won’t be surprised to hear that this destroyer, USS William D. Porter, has been called “the unluckiest ship in US Navy history.” Fortunately, everyone lived to tell the story. Trouble began for the so-called “Willie Dee” during its first real mission. “The mishaps began as comedic scenes from Dumb and Dumber,” one historian writes dryly, “but evolved to the more serious.” The destroyer had been assigned to accompany Iowa on a secret mission: The battleship was carrying Roosevelt and other officials across the Atlantic to meet with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. The convoy was to depart in radio silence on November 13, but Willie Dee was already in trouble by November 12. She accidentally backed into a nearby ship while in port! Willie Dee caused major damage to that vessel but had only minor damage to her own anchor. ...