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On July 4 1945, the Brazilian battle cruiser Bahia was sunk by an explosion while acting as a plane guard for transport aircraft. Why was the sinking particularly tragic?

Answer: The sinking was self-inflicted. The ships gunners were firing at a kite for anti-aircraft practice when one miss aimed and shot a depth charges stored near the ship’s stern. This caused a huge explosion that sank the ship within minutes.

Source: Latin America’s Wars by Robert L Scheina

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