Talk:USS Tennessee (ACR-10)

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Cause of Memphis' shipwreck?

Charles H. Willey refers to "the hurricane that wrecked USS Memphis."

USS Tennessee (ACR-10) says, "Memphis was driven ashore by an unexpected tsunami and totally wrecked."

DANFS says, "On the afternoon of 29 August, while at anchor in the harbor of San Domingo, a series of very close tsunami-like waves inundated the harbor, almost wrecking gunboat Castine and driving Memphis ashore. The waves were so steep they flowed over the armored cruiser, including the bridge and even the stacks, and repeatedly battered the warship into the harbor bottom."

Willey's Medal of Honor citation says, "For extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession while serving on board the U.S.S. Memphis, at a time when that vessel was suffering total destruction from a hurricane while anchored off Santo Domingo City, 29 August 1916."

So was it a hurricane, or a tsunami? Or maybe tsunami-like waves caused by a hurricane?
—wwoods 18:50, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wwoods, according to Craig B. Smith's book Extreme Waves (Joseph Henry Press, 2006. ISBN 0-309-10062-3) a tsunami has been cited by others as the cause of the loss, but Craig doubted this explanation based on the supposition that a tsunami would have reached the ship more quickly than the waves were recorded to have arrived, as well as other characteristics of the waves, and the absence of any modern record of a tsunami likely to have hit Santa Domingo that day. Records indicate the largest wave was first sighted around 3:45 PM and hit shortly after 4:40 PM, suggesting the wave was moving at 18 to 36 knots -- which Craig implies is a reasonable speed for a storm induced wave but much slower than expected for a tsunami. Furthermore, there were several major storms, including two hurricanes, in the Caribbean on and around the date of the loss of Memphis (although apparently no storm warning had been received by the ship in Santa Domingo that day). Craig also enlisted the help of a tsunami expert who considered the circumstances and concluded "that he doubted that a tsunami caused the loss of the vessel." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.9.146.66 (talk) 11:11, 16 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]