The “Temper Temper” Incident
The day the U.S.S. Wisconsin lost its temper against some North Koreans…
The USS Wisconsin’s Mission
On March 15th, 1952, the Iowa-class Battleship U.S.S. Wisconsin was stationed off the coast of Korea and tasked with shelling North Korean positions. Wisconsin herself had only come out of mothballs just a year before and, along with her sister ships, was now taking part in the Korean War to support South Korean forces.
The Incident at Songjin
On this particular day, Wisconsin was on station off Songjin and was tasked with destroying enemy rail lines. During this operation, a North Korean artillery crew on a nearby hill scored a direct hit on the battleship with a single 155mm round. The damage itself was minor, with no fatalities but three injured crewmen. However, the Wisconsin’s captain took great offense.
The Retaliation
He ordered all nine of his vessel’s 16″ main guns to open fire on the hill where the shot came from. As a result, there was no more hill or North Koreans.
“Temper Temper” Message
Moments after this, the USS Buck, a destroyer which was escorting the Wisconsin, sailed past the battleship. Flashing the message “Temper Temper” before sailing off. Though I like to believe that the Wisconsin flashed back “Well, he started it!” as a response.
~NC
