In God We Trust
While over 33,000 American lives were lost in the Korean combat zone, veterans' lives were also being lost stateside during the Korean War. Click on the links below to learn about these tragedies. (Note: Some accidents do not have detailed pages on the KWE.) To add further information to this page, contact us.
Sinking of the USS Benevolence - California - Just offshore at San Francisco, California, the hospital ship USS Benevolence was rammed by the freighter Mary Luckenbach. There were 23 fatalities, including one Navy nurse. There were 505 survivors.
Troop Train Wreck - Coshocton, Ohio - When the Spirit of St. Louis train collided with PX5444West, a Pennsylvania National Guard troop train, 33 Pennsylvania National Guardsmen lost their lives, and 67 others were injured. The wreck occurred on a foggy morning on in Coshocton County, Ohio. All of the fatalities were from Pennsylvania.
Sherman tank/Express train Collision - Barberton, Ohio - Three members of B Company, 137th Tank Battalion, Ohio National Guard were killed when the Express train crashed into the Sherman tank.
Collision of the Thomas Tracy and USS Valcour - Virginia - Near Cape Henry, the USS Valcour ship was passing the collier ship, Thomas Tracy, when the two vessels collided. A fierce fire broke out on the Valcour when a fuel tank was ruptured. No one on the Thomas Tracy was injured, but there were 11 dead, 16 injured, and 25 missing (later presumed dead) on the USS Valcour.
Globemaster Crash - Indiana [Note: The link opens a separate "Airplane Crashes" section.] - A Globemaster C-124 airplane crashed near New Castle, Indiana when two of its four propellers reversed pitch, causing the massive plane to lose altitude. There were seven fatalities and five survivors in the crash.
Unnamed Ship Launch Capsize - Rhode Island - Eighteen men were drowned in Narragansett Bay when a Nor'easter caused the water to churn, swamp the launch, and capsize the vessel. On the launch were 159 men who were returning from liberty. All struggled for their lives in the water until rescue.
Troop Train/Southern Belle - Lettsworth, Lousiana - Eight Marines were killed when the troop train (Extra 51-A North) they were in collided with the Southern Belle passenger train near Lettsworth, Louisiana.
Car/Truck Accident - Romney, West Virginia - Marines on leave from Camp LeJeune crash into a semi-trailer on New Jersey turnpike. Four Marines killed. One survivor.
Car/Truck Accident - New Jersey Turnpike - Five Marines killed in a car/truck accident in Bordentown, New Jersey.
Transport Truck Accident - California - Four National Guard members were killed when the truck in which they were riding plunged over an embankment at the Hunter Liggett military reservation north of Camp Cook, California.
Car/Truck Accident - Litchfield, Illinois - Six sailors killed.
Globemaster Crash - Alaska [Note: The link opens a separate "Airplane Crashes" section.] - On its way to Korea, a Globemaster C-124 airplane crashed into Knik Glacier east of Anchorage. The bodies of all 52 persons on the massive plane were lost under snow until they were re-discovered in 2012.
Car/Truck Accident - Ashland, Virginia - Five Marines killed.
Car/Greyhound Bus Accident - Saluda, Virginia - Five sailors killed.
Globemaster Crash - Washington [Note: The link opens a separate "Airplane Crashes" section.] - Some say it was pilot error, and others say it was mechanical failure that caused this massive C-124 airplane to crash five miles northeast of Moses Lake, Washington. One of the worst air tragedies of its time, 82 passengers and 5 crew members were killed. There were only 28 survivors.
Truck Accident - Kentucky (town unknown) - Six GIs were killed.
Car/Power Shovel Accident - Maine - Six merchant marine cadets were killed when their car careened around a curve near South China, Maine, and crashed into a power shovel.
Pontoon Raft Capsize - Fort Bragg, North Carolina - Forty trainees with the 406th Engineer Training Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina were given a demonstration ride aboard an engineer pontoon raft on a nearby lake when the raft capsized. Twenty trainees drowned.
Leyte Explosion - Boston Naval Shipyard - Thirty-seven men were killed by an explosion and fire aboard the USS Leyte CVS32. The ship was under conversion to a CVS when an explosion occurred in the port catapult machinery room. It took four hours to extinguish the fire. Twenty-eight others were also injured.
Car/Truck Accident - Mt. Holly, New Jersey - Five sailors killed.
Stateside Airplane Crashes - Various [Note: The link opens a separate "Airplane Crashes" section.] - There were several military airplane crashes in 1954.
Two-Car Crash - Seven persons (including five soldiers) were killed in a two-car accident in Mountain View, California.
Bennington Explosion - Nantucket Island - The forward third of the USS Bennington suffered the brunt of an explosion or series of explosions that occurred in the Atlantic Ocean not far from Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. It is believed the explosions were caused by hydraulic fluid in the ship's catapults. There were 104 deaths and injury to 139 others.
R6D-1 Crash, Oahu, Hawaii - There were 66 fatalities in this crash, most of whom were veterans returning to the States after their tour of duty in Korea was over.