USS Bennington boiler explosion

On July 21, 1905 a boiler aboard the U.S. Navy gunboat USS Bennington exploded while the ship was in San Diego Harbor, killing 66 sailors and injuring many others. The disaster was one of the deadliest peacetime accidents in U.S. Navy history and prompted official inquiries into boiler safety. Memorials and historical accounts in San Diego note the large number of casualties and the event's impact on naval engineering and safety practices.