Off San Diego on July 21, 1905, the USS Bennington suffered a catastrophic boiler explosion that killed 66 sailors—one of the worst peacetime disasters in U.S. Navy history.
The blast tore through the lower decks, ripping up the main deck and filling the engine rooms with scalding steam.
A naval inquiry uncovered systemic negligence: defective gauges, poor maintenance, and inadequate safety drills. Public outrage forced the Navy to overhaul its engineering regulations, modernizing naval safety for the twentieth century.
