Your understanding is the Navy’s official version. There have been other things that have come out over the years. The most damning is a report that the propellent bags in that turret came from a bad lot. Nothing has ever been proven that any of the sailors assigned to that turret were invoved in a sexual relationship. I believe that the propellent bags were the cause of the tragedy.
Didn’t the Navy retract the homosexual crew story a few years after the explosion ?
The second investigation was done by Sandia National Labs and points to the most likely cause. Sandia determined that a significant overram of the powder bags into the gun had occurred as they were being loaded and that the overram could have caused the explosion.
A subsequent test by the Navy of the overram scenario confirmed that an overram could have caused an explosion in the gun breech. Sandia’s technicians also found that the physical evidence did not support the Navy's theory that an electronic or chemical detonator had been used to initiate the explosion.
In response to the new findings, the Navy, with Sandia’s assistance, reopened the investigation. In August 1991, Sandia and the GAO completed their reports, concluding that the explosion was likely caused by an accidental overram of powder bags into the breech of the 16-inch gun.
The Navy, however, disagreed with Sandia’s opinion and concluded that the cause of the explosion could not be determined. The Navy expressed regret to Hartwig’s family and closed its investigation.