Machinist Mate 3rd Class Michael Nunnally "Chip" Manns, A Sailor's Story

Machinist Mate 3rd Class Michael Nunnally "Chip" Manns, A Sailor's Story

Machinist Mate 3rd Class Michael Nunnally "Chip" Manns

Born May 15, 1967 - Died October 30, 1990

Machinist Mate 3rd Class Michael Nunnally “Chip” Manns was born on May 16, 1967, in Bowling Green, Virginia. He grew up in Caroline County and graduated from Caroline High School in 1985. Friends and family remembered him as someone who loved travel and adventure. Not long after graduating, Manns spent a year working and traveling in Israel, an experience that broadened his horizons before he returned home to Virginia.

Back in the United States, Manns briefly attended Virginia Tech, but the pull of service and the wider world remained strong. On September 1, 1987, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He trained as a Machinist’s Mate, one of the sailors responsible for maintaining the powerful engineering systems that keep a naval vessel moving, work that demands technical skill, vigilance, and courage in the often unseen spaces deep within a ship.

Manns was assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, where he served in the engineering department. Sailors in these roles rarely appear in headlines, yet the safe operation of every vessel depends on their expertise. Deep in the ship’s machinery spaces, they maintain boilers, turbines, and mechanical systems that allow the fleet to operate across the world’s oceans.

On October 30, 1990, while the USS Iwo Jima was en route to the Persian Gulf during the opening stages of the Gulf War, a catastrophic boiler malfunction occurred aboard the ship. Machinist Mate 3rd Class Manns died in the line of duty during the incident, one of several sailors lost in the tragedy.

He was only twenty-three years old.

Today, Michael “Chip” Manns rests at Lakewood Cemetery in Bowling Green, Virginia. His story is a reminder that military service is not only measured on battlefields. Often, it is carried out quietly, in engine rooms, maintenance spaces, and long deployments far from home.

Sailors like Chip Manns kept the fleet moving, and in doing so, helped carry the weight of a nation’s responsibilities across the sea.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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