Navy's first 'supercarrier' headed to Brownsville scrap yard

[TexasTowelie]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Navy's first post-World War II "supercarrier" has departed Philadelphia on a final trip to a scrapping facility in Texas.

The Philadelphia Inquirer said the USS Forrestal left under tow early Tuesday to begin its 17- or 18-day trip.

The 60-year-old ship is being taken to a recycling facility in Brownsville, owned by All Star Metals, which was paid one cent to haul away and dismantle the vessel.

The USS Forrestal was decommissioned in September 1993, after more than 38 years of service.

It is best known for a 1967 fire on its flight deck that killed 132 crewmen and injured 62 others.

More at http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/article_3e739eb6-8dea-11e3-8187-001a4bcf6878.html .

[DreamGypsy]

1. The Last Watch...

...

I have no fondness for warships...whaling boats, factory trawlers, or other ocean-going juggernauts.

But their story is an allegory for human demise.

&feature=kp

The Midland

[msongs]

2. paid one cent??? china woulda paid millions lol nt

[MADem]

3. Farewell to the Forest Fire....that footage scared the shit out of generations of sailors down the

years....

John McCain was the pilot doing the duck-n-roll in that famous footage of the fire....!

[TexasTowelie]

4. I never saw that footage before.

It was gruesome, but at the same time I realized that it was also doctored to portray everyone in a positive manner and avoid blame. I imagine that the people on board suffer from hearing problems after all the explosions.

[MADem]

5. It was a boot camp/OCS and pre-deployment staple for many years.

It was made for the purpose of putting everyone on their toes, not to excoriate any individuals.

It still gives me the shivers all these years later.

[TexasProgresive]

6. It is said that McCain was the only uninjured person

evacuated from the carrier, that and other things are said-just saying.

[Ilsa]

7. Years ago, a coworker told me he was on board.

I have no reason not to believe him. But he didn't report being injured. I don't remember what his job was.

[MADem]

9. He was an A-4 pilot and IN his a/c when the wayward missile exploded... nt

[Ilsa]

10. Yes, I know McCain was an A4 pilot. The

Trainer versions were very popular in my neighborhood growing up.

Maybe you misunderstood: my coworker (who was not McCain) was aboard the Forrestal when it burned. I think (after half a day), my coworker worked the flight deck, but wasn't on duty topside when the accident happened.

[TexasProgresive]

11. What I said was, McCain

was the only uninjured person evacuated from the ship. Your coworker was not injured and not McCain so he wasn't taken off the ship with the injured.

[MADem]

8. Naaah--134 people were killed in that horror, and McCain was a victim as much as anyone...

A missile went off and exploded by his aircraft--he barely got away in one piece.

That was just a bit of bad luck on his part; the first aircraft he wrecked was in flight school, now that WAS his fault, but when your daddy and grampa are Flag officers, you get a second chance and don't end up doing shit work or getting recycled into the surface community. Ironically, if that HAD happened to him, and he'd been assigned to cycle back through SWO training, he probably would have had a very nice Naval career and probably made at least two stars, and followed in the family footsteps (that was back in the day when "early errors" were forgiven--that doesn't happen anymore).

He burned a shitload of bridges at OLA, though (he was a total ass in that job)--they just would not promote him, even with his Hanoi Hilton block checked. That, in itself, was very telling...!

[TexasProgresive]

12. Some think he did a "wet start"

which startled the pilot that dropped the missile on the deck. I really don't know but he was not injured and no other uninjured person was taken off the ship with the injured. He never served on that ship. I think he may've been in danger from some of his ship mates.

[MADem]

13. I think that's revisionist; people trying to make up a story because they don't care for his

political views.

He was an Admiral's child, and an Admiral's grandchild. He would have been the anchorman of his Academy class had he not been. Rank has its privileges....

On that sad situation, though, I think it was just a shitty, lousy accident. This is what I've heard about that mess through the years, and I think it's a pretty accurate account. I never heard any of these "suspicious" stories until McCain became a national figure. There was plenty of time to trash talk the guy after the incident, after he came home from Hanoi, after he started working at OLA, after he finished up his USN career and ran for Congress...but none of that ever came to the fore until he became a Presidential contender.

I mean, if people wanted to trash the guy, his shitty behavior while he was working at Legislative Affairs is enough to indict him ten times over! No need to make stuff up....! He was a real asshole!

[TexasTowelie]

14. Hey down there in Aggieland!

I read that a few of the Democratic candidates coming over to Bryan this weekend. Are you going for Kinky?
:innuendo:

[TexasProgresive]

15. I would love to meet with them

I am on call this week and have to hang loose. As to Kinky, I don't quite know what to make of him. If he is the Dem nominee I will vote for him. The best Ag Commish we ever had for the small family farms was Jim Hightower, even RW types who have small farms voted for him. The worst is our present governor. I'm not sure what Friedman would bring to the job.He could be a joke or perhaps follow in the footsteps of Hightower taking the job seriously.