[rdl6989]

The Navy determined a gay suicidal sailor caused the explosion, but even back then there was pressure find another cause.

[tanknetter]

The Navy determined a gay suicidal sailor caused the explosion, but even back then there was pressure find another cause.

Other way around.

The initial investigation pointed to an alleged homosexual revenge/suicide plot. Partly because the Navy believed the 1930s mechanical technology related to the guns was fool-proof, but also because they didn't want to admit that the Turret Captain (I think) was something of a loose cannon who was playing around with, and being allowed to play around with, weird loadouts ... like seeing what would happen using five powder bags instead of the specified six.

A second investigation pointed to the real problem: there wasn't any sort of mechanical governor on the shell/bag ramming mechanism. The powder bags were overrammed at a much higher speed than ever intended, detonating the powder.

The truth is that the Navy should have looked to overramming right from the start. Problems with the old powder bags plagued the Iowas at the beginning of their 1980's recommissioning. The New Jersey's bombardment of the Syrian positions in the hills above Beirut ended up with the shells landing all over the place ... but fortuitously hitting (by shear happenstance) a Syrian command center. Testing later determined that the combustible pellets in the bags had become jumbled over decades of being moved around. Producing a very uneven burn rate. When the bags were cut open and the pellets repacked (stacked neatly) accuracy greatly improved.

[Coronal]

There was never any evidence of it. The Navy slandered a dead sailor to prevent an examination of the machinery and practices aboard the ship.