U.S.S. Serpens Memorial - Arlington VA
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 38° 52.440 W 077° 04.122
18S E 320542 N 4304828
The U.S.S. Serpens Memorial and mass grave for the sailors (198) and stevedores (57) is located in Section 34, Arlington National Cemetery. The cargo ship exploded on January 29, 1945 in Lunga Beach while depth charges were being loaded.
Waymark Code: WM15Z2C
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 03/27/2022
Views: 0
From the U.S. Coast Guard website:
USS Serpens (AK-97) was a United States Coast Guard-manned Crater-class cargo ship in the service of the United States Navy in World War II. Late in the evening on January 29, 1945, Serpens was anchored off Lunga Beach. The commanding officer and seven others, one officer and six enlisted men, were ashore. The remaining 198 members of Serpens crew and 57 members of an Army stevedore unit were on board the ship, loading depth charges into her holds. During the loading, Serpens exploded. The force of the explosion was so great that it killed an Army soldier who was ashore. After the explosion, only the bow of the ship was visible. The rest had disintegrated, and the bow sank soon afterward. Only two sailors aboard survived the incident. The cause of the explosion was never completely determined. The loss of the Serpens remains the largest single disaster ever suffered by the U.S. Coast Guard.
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