ABC News: 7 Marines Killed in Mortar Training Exercise

[Vulcann]

Tragic training accident The number of casualties are simply mind-boggling...

 

Likely a tube explosion which made it a massive exploding grenade spilling thousands of deadly shrapnels all over?

 

From ABC News:

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/mortar-rounds-sus...ory?id=18762644

 

Use of Some Mortar Rounds Suspended After Accident Kills Seven Marines

By LUIS MARTINEZ (@LMartinezABC) and ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb)

March 19, 2013

 

Seven Marines were killed and at least seven others were injured when a powerful 60mm mortar exploded in a tube during a training exercise in Nevada, the Marines said today.

 

The Marines have issued a suspension on the use of all 60mm mortars and their associated tubes while they conduct a review of what caused a round to explode. The suspension will affect mortars used both in training and in deployed settings.

 

The Marines, who were from the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., were conducting live fire maneuver training at the Hawthorne Army Depot 140 miles southeast of Reno, Nev., Sunday when Lukeman said it appeared a mortar round exploded in a tube at 9:55 p.m. MST.

 

One sailor was among the injured in the blast, Brig. Gen. Jim Lukeman said today.

 

A Defense official later told ABC News that the sailor was a Navy corpsman working with the unit. It was not clear where the Marines were standing or the cause of the blast, which Lukeman said is under investigation.

 

The survivors are being treated at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno for injuries that include trauma fractures and vascular injuries, hospital spokeswoman Stacy Kendall told ABC News.

 

Two Marines and one sailor are very seriously injured, while three Marines have serious injuries and a seventh Marine was treated for minor injuries, Lukeman said.

 

The Marines had been training at the Hawthorne Army Depot and the nearby Mountain Warfare Training Center for the past month, Lukeman said. The training was not in anticipation of an imminent deployment, he said.

 

The mountainous desert terrain of the 230-square-mile depot is used as a training location for special forces since it "provides a realistic simulation of the situation in Afghanistan," according to the depot's website. The depot is also used as a storage site for ammunition awaiting demilitarization.

 

It takes several Marines to fire a 60mm mortar and they must "work together to provide constant and accurate high-angle suppressive fire," according to the Marines' website.

 

The mortar the Marines were using is a "lightweight company mortar fired from a stationary position," Lukeman said.

 

The Marine Corps is notifying families before releasing the identities of those who were killed. Lukeman said the names would be made public 24 hours after all the next of kin were notified.

 

"Our first priority is to provide them the support they need during this very difficult time," he said.

 

ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report

Edited March 20, 2013 by Vulcann

[Hiphiphoray]

Motars are used for area targeting. Meaning it just need to land near you to kill u.

 

First few ronds is always the zeroing. Then cums the FFE. Fire For Effect.

 

When that happens, whomever at the other end better run.

 

A barrach of 120mm ronds are cuming. >

[Alpha78]

Back in 1998, our own Arty unit had a round exploded within the chamber of FH88 or FH2000. If I remember correctly, one man died and several others injured.

 

Such things happen.

[Vulcann]

Back in 1998, our own Arty unit had a round exploded within the chamber of FH88 or FH2000. If I remember correctly, one man died and several others injured.

 

Such things happen.

 

Accidents happen as per Murphy's Law.

 

What we can do do is to learn from other people's experience or mistake.

 

Not only in the service but also in our daily lives.

[Vulcann]

Motars are used for area targeting. Meaning it just need to land near you to kill u.

 

First few ronds is always the zeroing. Then cums the FFE. Fire For Effect.

 

When that happens, whomever at the other end better run.

 

A barrach of 120mm ronds are cuming. >

[Pocus]

Back in 1998, our own Arty unit had a round exploded within the chamber of FH88 or FH2000. If I remember correctly, one man died and several others injured.

 

Such things happen.

 

I remember it's one of the arty detactment training in NZ.

 

It was reported that after investigation they found that batch of rounds faulty.

[Rncw]

last time i 81mm mortarman.....very dangerous....the round is faulty that why explode inside barrel....

 

81mm rounds (HE) got a possible kill area of 50m-100m...sometimes faulty rounds will cause the round to drop shot....or after 5sec FFE, the barrel so covered with carbon, the rounds just stuck inside, but the most siong about 81mm mortar is digging the trench, and manpack....heard last time ROC also got faulty rounds and exploded inside the barrel, and our NSF also mati....then my time in ROC no live firing for mortar

Edited March 20, 2013 by Rncw

[Shorty]

7 marines is a huge loss. i dunno if wat is portrayed is real...but if marines r wat they made out to b, really admire them. they can b called the best of the best.

[Hiphiphoray]

i was 81mm motar trained.......then later re-train for 120mm.

 

i was the no.2 tortise man............haha.

 

And yah.......manpack sibeh siong.......can really cry. Bloody rifleman got only their M16. We got M16 + Motar equipt.......

 

U number what man ?

 

last time i 81mm mortarman.....very dangerous....the round is faulty that why explode inside barrel....

 

81mm rounds (HE) got a possible kill area of 50m-100m...sometimes faulty rounds will cause the round to drop shot....or after 5sec FFE, the barrel so covered with carbon, the rounds just stuck inside, but the most siong about 81mm mortar is digging the trench, and manpack....heard last time ROC also got faulty rounds and exploded inside the barrel, and our NSF also mati....then my time in ROC no live firing for mortar

 

[Donut]

last time i 81mm mortarman.....very dangerous....the round is faulty that why explode inside barrel....

 

81mm rounds (HE) got a possible kill area of 50m-100m...sometimes faulty rounds will cause the round to drop shot....or after 5sec FFE, the barrel so covered with carbon, the rounds just stuck inside, but the most siong about 81mm mortar is digging the trench, and manpack....heard last time ROC also got faulty rounds and exploded inside the barrel, and our NSF also mati....then my time in ROC no live firing for mortar

 

 

what happens if the round is IA inside the barrel? Wait for 6 hours before someone try to remedy it?

[Rncw]

i was 81mm motar trained.......then later re-train for 120mm.

 

i was the no.2 tortise man............haha.

 

And yah.......manpack sibeh siong.......can really cry. Bloody rifleman got only their M16. We got M16 + Motar equipt.......

 

U number what man ?

 

wah lao....i ish no 3 man....firer, and manpack heaviest lor....

 

but reservist i number 2 man...

Edited March 20, 2013 by Rncw

[Hiphiphoray]

A typical 81mm motar platoon got 6 motars. 120mm got 4. (that was 20 years ago...duno about now)

 

When FFE commences, each motar fires 40-50 HE rounds x number of motars.

 

Whatever living thing over the other side all die.

 

We do not really want to be at the receiving end of an arty barrage [sweatdrop]

 

In such a situation I rather kena a direct hit and then to be sprayed with razor-sharp shrapnels and maimed.

 

Best of course is not to be warring with other folks

 

[Rncw]

last time in 1984, combined exercise with brunei, at area A, FFE one full contact rate....fire until breech head red hot...then stoopid 106mm ricochet to our position in between mortar3 and 4.....then later nothing happened, but go to do CheeseBye fire...bloody hot bipod....the baseplate cannot dig out....

 

last time.....center..center..center..center...ON!

[Hiphiphoray]

There is proper IA procedure. Basically have to tilt the barrel to take it out. Remove chargers and check pro struck or not.

 

Place it somewhere secure for the pioneer platoon to dispose of it later.

 

All these done by 18-19 yr old kuku NS boys.

 

Not like what u see in the public.

 

Find WWII bomb, wahhhhhhh....big hoohah....police cum, Civil D cum, Bomb disposal unit cum. Sometimes MP also cum act concern/busy.

 

what happens if the round is IA inside the barrel? Wait for 6 hours before someone try to remedy it?

 

[Sp4wn]

what happens if the round is IA inside the barrel? Wait for 6 hours before someone try to remedy it?

 

run far far away. i also from ammo ... if never detonate, iirc *might* need to remote charge the thing and destroy it. who will even dare to move? i remember when they showed us a few pictures of the guns "flowering" which was a damn scary sight ><

[Donut]

There is proper IA procedure. Basically have to tilt the barrel to take it out. Remove chargers and check pro struck or not.

 

Place it somewhere secure for the pioneer platoon to dispose of it later.

 

All these done by 18-19 yr old kuku NS boys.

 

Not like what u see in the public.

 

Find WWII bomb, wahhhhhhh....big hoohah....police cum, Civil D cum, Bomb disposal unit cum. Sometimes MP also cum act concern/busy.

 

but who will dare to tilt barrel and take out? that thing can explode anytime

[Rncw]

but who will dare to tilt barrel and take out? that thing can explode anytime

 

i did that few time during live firing....quite scary...

[Altivo]

Back in 1998, our own Arty unit had a round exploded within the chamber of FH88 or FH2000. If I remember correctly, one man died and several others injured.

 

Such things happen.

 

That was my unit. Happened in Mar 1997 and to the batch before me.

 

The problem was the fuze. Even though it was an american fuze, it was manufactured in china and due to manufacturing defects, the fuze was already "armed". So it was "live" from the day it left the factory, went up the ship to Singapore, then to our the ammo base before being shipped to NZ.

 

This caused a barrel explosion to the FH2000. 2 gunners died. One was the layer who seats next to the barrel to fire the gun. The other one was the dect cmdr who died after the round exploded in his face when he was checking the seal of the breech. I think another 5 more were injured

 

Subsequently, all fuzes were x-rayed and we would have to check every x-rays to make sure nothing is wrong.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Altivo