The Ship that Literally Shot itself to Death

image via Wikipedia

World War II was called a "world war" for a reason; aside from the I'll-have-no-part-of-anything Switzerland, virtually every nation worldwide had a stake in the war. Among them was Brazil, who declared war on Germany in August 1942. They sent 25,500 troops to help retake Italy from Germany, becoming the only South American country to send troops to fight in Europe. Not bad.

In addition to troops, the Brazilian navy participated in anti-U-boat operations in the Atlantic. They lost several ships in the process, including the BZ Bahia. But the story of how the BZ Bahia sank is less one of enemy action, and more one of utter stupidity.

image via Wikipedia

"The sign said 'No smoking'!"

Originally commissioned in 1910, and massively upgraded in the 1920s, the BZ Bahia was among the best ships of the Brazilian Navy during World War II. Though by US standards, that was like saying the ship was king of the garbage pile, since the Brazilian Navy at the time was mostly leftovers from World War I.

Nevertheless, the BZ Bahia served her role well in WWII, helping to escort transports and troops across the Atlantic and protect them from U-boats, almost sinking one in the process. When all was said and done, she had done nearly sixty trips across the ocean, and traveled over 100,000 miles by war's end.

image via Ahoy

Which is more than a lot could say by the end of the war.

After Germany surrendered in May 1945, the BZ Bahia was assigned to act as a guard for Brazilian harbors against attacks by German forces still operating in the Atlantic who had yet to formally surrender, and also as a search and rescue ship for any aircraft that went down over the Atlantic. It was here that the Bahia would finally meet her maker, herself.

image via Wikipedia

Every group has to have the stupid one.

On July 4th, 1945, the crew took part in an anti-aircraft drill. Towed behind the cruiser was a kite that the anti-aircraft gunners would attempt to shoot down to hone their skills. One sailor was skilled enough that he indeed shot it down, but then apparently felt cocky enough to shoot it down all the way to the water.

Know what else was stored on the rear of the ship? The depth charges. As the gunner stupidly followed the kite to the water, he accidentally shot the row of depth charges located on the stern. The ship promptly blew sky high, then sank to the bottom of the ocean. Over 300 of her crew went down with her in Brazil's last loss during World War II.

image via Wikipedia

But at least she sank something

So how come the gunner was able to accidentally shoot their own ship? Shouldn't there have been safety precautions against this?

On just about every other ship in the world, there are guard rails that prevent guns from shooting at dangerous angles. But for reasons unknown, the BZ Bahia lacked them, and as a result, the only ship sank by Brazil during World War II was one of their own.

image via NY Daily News

"We need more countries like Brazil!"