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BB59/L11 Ser. CONFIDENTIAL U.S.S. MASSACHUSETTS, February 20, 1943. From: The Executive Officer. To  : The Commanding Officer.   Subject: Heavy Weather Damage, report of.   Enclosure: (A)  Report of damage and recommendations under the cognizance of the Bureau of Ordnance. (B) Report of damage and recommendations under the cognizance of the Bureau of Ships (Engineering). (C) Report of damage and recommendations under the cognizance of the Bureau of Ships (Hull). (D) Extracts from log of February 7, and 8, 1943.      1.       During the morning watch of February 7 1943 while making passage off Cape Hatteras this vessel on course 196° true, speed 18.5 knots, encountered a moderate sea which did considerable damage to this vessel during the next twenty-four hours. This damage and recommendations are listed in enclosures (A), (B) and (C). The maximum force of the wind was 6, sea 4 which varried slightly on either side of the starboard beam.      2.       The seas were only moderate with an occassional heavy wave. At 1614 on February 7, 1943 as the heavy weather was increasing slowed to 15 knots with no reduction in the water coming on board. At about 2030 a particularly heavy sea came on board which threatened to flood the engine rooms thru the ventilation intake ducts and short out the main switchboards. Speed was slowed to 12 knots with little reduction in the amount of water coming on board. As turret one was being flooded due to the bloomers carrying away it was impractical to head into the sea and to place the sea on or abaft the quarter would have cleared the stern of aircraft.      3.       At 0707 on February 8, 1943 the seas having moderated went ahead at 15 knots and at 0225 resumed 18.5 knots.      4.       Turret #1 was flooded because of the failure of the bloomers. The turret was trained to port in order to reduce the amount of water entering the gun ports but it was found that too much water was coming thru the after hatch and ventilation ducts. As at this time it was thought that no serious damage was being done to the turret the turret was trained on the port bow. After pumping the water down it was found that water had entered the center column. This in itself did no serious damage but this water flowing thru the conduit tubes to the main power connection boxes soaked the main power cables necessitating their renewal and placing the turret out of commission for ten days.      5.       During this storm the maximum roll was 13 degrees and the maximum pitch as read from the trim indicator dampened

BB59/L11 U.S.S. MASSACHUSETTS CONFIDENTIAL February 20, 1943.   Subject: Heavy Weather Damage, report of, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - to give an average was 3 feet. This vessel is extremely wet. Even on a calm day with very little wind the weather decks are wet with spray. On this particular day no automatic weapons on the main deck could have been manned and only those on the lee side of the superstructure could have been manned. In fact, it would have been impossible to fight the ship to windward with anything except perhaps turret 2 and upper 5" mounts.   E. M. THOMPSON

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