AHC: William D. Porter blows up FDR:

I was reading about the Mel Brooks comedy that is the career of the destroyer USS William D. Porter. Evidently this ship fired a live torpedo at the USS Iowa when FDR was onboard and failed to notify the other ships in its convoy until it was nearly too late. Suppose that it had continued to fail at just the wrong moment that this torpedo blows up the USS Iowa and with it FDR, *before* Tehran. What happens to the Allies after *that*? :eek:

And I am not making this up:

http://www.ussiowa.org/general/html/willie_d.htm
 
FDR almost certainly survives, it is just one torpedo, that unless it is a golden BB one torpedo just ain't gonna do it, BB's are tough and usually take a lot more killing than that (as in the vicinity of 5-10 or more)
 
FDR almost certainly survives, it is just one torpedo, that unless it is a golden BB one torpedo just ain't gonna do it, BB's are tough and usually take a lot more killing than that (as in the vicinity of 5-10 or more)

Ah. Well, in that case it'd still be a major embarrassment for the USA and US military at the time. I can only imagine how Churchill and Stalin would react.......
 
Don't forget the annoyance that Americans had about needing to send their President over the Atlantic, traditionalists such as Thomas Bailey were enraged over the torpedo incident (although they often forget to mention it was a friendly fire incident!), if the torpedo gets extraordinarily lucky and hits something vital, causes FDR to have a heart attack from shock, causes FDR to fall over the side etc etc, then more might be made of this, if not by the Sovietphile Wallace administration then critics on the outside.
 
If FDR dies as a result of the calamity (possible), then Henry Wallace is Presidet of the United States, and pretty soon, the world devolves into something broadly similar to For All Time.
 

Hyperion

Banned
If FDR dies as a result of the calamity (possible), then Henry Wallace is Presidet of the United States, and pretty soon, the world devolves into something broadly similar to For All Time.

On the plus side, it would probably be the first time ever that someone captures a picture of a President facepalming when Wallace hears the news of exactly why he is now President.
 
FDR almost certainly survives, it is just one torpedo, that unless it is a golden BB one torpedo just ain't gonna do it, BB's are tough and usually take a lot more killing than that (as in the vicinity of 5-10 or more)

I've always thought that there could be a good comedy written about that damned ship ... :)

In any case, in this case, FDR actually moved closer to the deck to watch the torpedo more closely. So, lets say it hits, and FDR is catapulted over the side of the deck. In the chaos, it takes a few minutes to igure out what happens, and by then, its too late ...
 
If FDR dies as a result of the calamity (possible), then Henry Wallace is Presidet of the United States, and pretty soon, the world devolves into something broadly similar to For All Time.

Unless Dewey wins in '48. Wallace would have a similar foreign policy to Truman, but Taft will be Harding 2.0 with foreign policy.
 
WHat evidence do you have for this claim?
Um, everything I've ever read about Taft, and the actual researched books I have read about Wallace. Truman, Byrnes, and Wallace were all equally pro-Soviet when the War ended, but they woke up to reality in the order I listed them.
 
FDR almost certainly survives, it is just one torpedo, that unless it is a golden BB one torpedo just ain't gonna do it, BB's are tough and usually take a lot more killing than that (as in the vicinity of 5-10 or more)

It's the William D. Porter. I half expect them to fire a couple more torpedos when they see the first one didn't do the job.
 

BlondieBC

Banned
FDR almost certainly survives, it is just one torpedo, that unless it is a golden BB one torpedo just ain't gonna do it, BB's are tough and usually take a lot more killing than that (as in the vicinity of 5-10 or more)

1 Hit = Damage or Cripple
2 Hits = Cripple or Sunk
3 Hits = Sunk

There are some higher totals, but it is hard to find ships that take more than 2-3 torpedoes and survive unless they are run aground.

See bottom of link.


http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-047.htm
 

BlondieBC

Banned
I've always thought that there could be a good comedy written about that damned ship ... :)

In any case, in this case, FDR actually moved closer to the deck to watch the torpedo more closely. So, lets say it hits, and FDR is catapulted over the side of the deck. In the chaos, it takes a few minutes to igure out what happens, and by then, its too late ...

He is partially paralyzed, without a life vest, he might go straight down, especially if he is wearing his metal leg braces.

Is that the destroyer to which other Navy ships would signal, "Don't shoot! We're Republicans!"

Yes,

It is also the only ship where the entire crew was arrested, or at least that is how the stories goes.
 
This would be a major PR Blunder for the US.


Would the Crew of the William D. Porter get arrested for killing the President?


Henry Wallace would facepalm after learning why he is President now.
 
I would like to point out, for the sake of all those who served aboard the William D. Porter, that once her inept leadership was removed she went on to serve with competence and sometimes distinction until receiving a fatal kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. She received four battle stars while serving in various Pacific campaigns.
 
One thing to remember: the torpedo was a Mark-15. Which had the same issues with reliablity that the submarine force's Mark-14, and the Mark-13 aerial torpedoes had. Even if it hit the Iowa, there's no guarantee that it would've gone off.
 
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