The 9:30 a.m. ceremony will remember and honor the 47 sailors who lost their lives after a gun turret exploded on the USS Iowa during a firing exercise on April 19, 1989.

The turret erupted in flames during what was to have been a routine test-firing of the ship’s guns shortly before 10 a.m., about 340 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Forty-seven men died.

A LETTER writer’s question was: Could the 16-inch naval rifle on the USS Iowa have been fired before the breech was closed as in the case he cited of an Army 8-inch powder bag weapon? The answer ...

The 9:30 a.m. ceremony will remember and honor the 47 sailors who lost their lives after a gun turret exploded on the USS Iowa during a firing exercise on April 19, 1989.