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Pentagon bans 60 mm mortar round after deaths.....
HAWTHORNE, Nev. (AP) — A mortar shell explosion killed at least seven Marines and injured several more during mountain warfare training in Nevada's high desert, prompting the Pentagon to immediately halt the use of the weapons until an investigation can determine their safety, officials said Tuesday.
The explosion occurred Monday night at the Hawthorne Army Depot, a sprawling facility used by troops heading overseas, during an exercise involving the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C. Several Marines from the unit were injured in the blast, authorities said.
The Pentagon expanded a temporary ban to prohibit the military from firing any 60 mm mortar rounds until the results of the investigation. The Marine Corps said Tuesday a "blanket suspension" of 60 mm mortars and associated firing tubes is in effect.
The Pentagon earlier had suspended use of all high-explosive and illumination mortar rounds that were in the same manufacturing lots as ones fired in Nevada.
The mortar has changed little since World War II and remains one of the simplest weapons to operate, which is why it is found at the lowest level of infantry units, said Joseph Trevithick, a mortar expert with Global Security.org.
"Basically, it's still a pipe and it's got a firing pin at the bottom," Trevithick said. Still, a number of things could go wrong, such as a fuse malfunction, a problem with the barrel's assembly, or a round prematurely detonating inside the tube, he said.
The official said it would be normal to warn other U.S. military branches that use 60 mm mortars, such as the Army, about the Marines warning. The moratorium could last for weeks or months.
Pentagon bans 60 mm mortar round after deaths
Looks Like they have Warned the Army too. The Ban is up on them officially.
My question is 7 dead, 14 wounded. You usually have 3 on a gun, 3-4 guns on a line. So that's 10-15 dudes. A single round getting a hit on all of them and a kill on two gun positions?
1. Someone didn't dig mortar pits and is going to get fired after he gets' back out of the hospital or
2. Multiple round detonation. My thought process here is one round goes down, doesn't fire out, crew doesn't notice in the rapid fire, throws another one down the pipe out of muscle memory, both rounds go off in the tube or
3. everything that could go wrong, did. ridiculous amounts of everything.
One of my bosses is an old mortarman. His theory is that someone was practicing direct lay and anticipated the recoil, throwing a round up.