a mass of flames. The order to abandon ship came after the second explosion and was carried out expeditiously. Nevertheless, the tragedy claimed the lives of seven sailors and injured 125 others. Salvage work on Solar was begun by 15:00, and her wrecked superstructure was cut off to prevent her from capsizing. She was moved to New York, where she decommissioned on 21 May 1946. Solar was then stripped of all usable equipment, towed to sea, and sunk on 9 June 1946, in of water. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 5 June 1946. On July 5, 2022, the last living survivor of the explosions - Seaman J.D. Reed - passed away at age 95. References External links Buckley-class destroyer escorts World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Ships built in Philadelphia 1943 ships Non-combat internal explosions on warships Maritime incidents in 1946