U.S.S. Serpens Memorial - Arlington VA - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

The U.S.S. Serpens Memorial and mass grave for the sailors (198) and stevedores (57) is located in Section 34, Arlington National Cemetery.

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.

(visit link)

Date of Dedication: 06/15/1949 Property Permission: Public Access instructions: Section 34, Arlington National Cemetery Website for Waymark: [Web Link] Location of waymark: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, VA United States 21216 Commemoration: The death of the sailors and stevedores who were killed in an explosion by loading the ship Access times: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/27/2022 Don.Morfe visited it