On this day, July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Thu Jul 29, 2021, 02:24 PM - Edit history (2)

1967 USS Forrestal fire


USS Forrestal on fire, the worst US carrier fire since World War II; the destroyer Rupertus maneuvers to within 20 ft (6 m) to use fire hoses.

On 29 July 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal after an electrical anomaly caused a Zuni rocket on a F-4B Phantom to fire, striking an external fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk. The flammable jet fuel spilled across the flight deck, ignited, and triggered a chain-reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161. At the time, Forrestal was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, during the Vietnam War. The ship survived, but with damage exceeding US$72 million, not including the damage to aircraft. Future United States Senator John McCain and future four-star admiral and U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Ronald J. Zlatoper were among the survivors. Another on-board officer, Lieutenant Tom Treanore, later returned to the ship as its commander and retired an admiral.

The disaster prompted the Navy to revise its fire fighting practices. It also modified its weapon handling procedures and installed a deck wash down system on all carriers. The newly established Farrier Fire Fighting School Learning Site in Norfolk, Virginia was named after Chief Gerald W. Farrier, the commander of Damage Control Team 8, who was among the first to die in the fire and explosions.

{snip}

[EYESORE 9001]

1. I was trained in firefighting based on lessons learned from the USS Forrestal

One session was extinguishing burning liquid with water - a method forbidden under ordinary circumstances. It was one of the most intense things I’ve ever done.

[Demovictory9]

2. Important history

[EX500rider]

4. I watched her pull back into Norfolk after that for repair when I was a kid. nt

[machoneman]

5. Hey, McCain was part of that disaster of a fire! Nobody else here remembers that?

[soryang]

6. from 75 to 77

there were several "class A" aircraft losses during that time either on the Forrestal or in the air during its flight operations. Carrier Air Wing 17 lost another aircraft at Roosevelt Roads, and another at NAS Fallon in fatal aircraft accidents. Several of the people killed were either friends or colleagues. When a Vigilante hit the flight deck hard, it blew up in a tremendous explosion and the burning remains of the aircraft spread out over the flight deck. The navigator was lost immediately, the pilots seat ejected spontaneously. His chute never opened. He died later. I saw one pilot who successfully ejected from a mid air in the "stack" in the water. He waved as the ship passed him by and then was lost from view. When the helo on station found him he was already dead- drowned. The other five aircrew involved in the midair collision also died. It was always cause for relief when an aircraft loss was accompanied by a successful ejection and recovery. I think the last accident I witnessed was a successful wheels up landing at Cecil. I could go on.