[11]:86 Forrestal's ordnance officers reported the situation up the chain of command to the ship's commanding officer, Captain John Beling, and informed him the bombs were, in their assessment, an imminent danger to the ship and should be immediately jettisoned overboard. Printing is also easily possible because of the high resolution and the missing watermarks. Your download link will then be active for 48 hours before it expires. [30][pageneeded] The ninth explosion was attributed to a sympathetic detonation between an AN-M65 and a newer 500-lb M117 H6 bomb that were positioned next to each other. [19]:65, The official inquiry found that the ordnance crew acted immediately on the Weapons Coordination Board's decision. Nevertheless, the ad hoc firefighting teams of Sailors and Marines had the fire on the flight deck out by 1215. Based on their training with Mark 83 bombs, they expected to have approximatelyten minutes to extinguish the fire around the bomb before there was risk of the case melting or cooking off with a designed very low-order explosion. The main damage was caused by fuel leaks and the 1000 lb bombs, which are not napalm. The USS Forrestal fire remains the Navy's biggest disaster in a combat zone since World War II. [21][22][23], The Zuni rocket's warhead safety mechanism prevented it from detonating. Home Join Now About Hullnumber Before You Register Tell A Shipmate FAQs Related Links Contact Us. We hope this is helpful. The fire started at 10:51 a.m. Saturday, July 29, 1967, as 30-year-old Lt. Cmdr. At the risk of delaying Diamond Head's departure, he refused to sign the transfer forms until receiving written orders from CINCPAC on the teleprinter, explicitly absolving his detachment of responsibility for the bombs' terrible condition. By the end of World War II, as a result of lessons learned during the war, most Sailors on ships had received training in fighting shipboard fires. In less than five minutes, seven or eight 1,000-pound bombs,[10][29] one 750-pound bomb, one 500-pound (227kg) bomb, and several missile and rocket warheads heated by the fire exploded with varying degrees of violence. It could simultaneously carry two 3,000lb (1,360kg) M118 bombs and four 750lb (340kg) M117 bombs. In 1966, a magnesium flare tossed into an ammunition locker caused rockets to detonate aboard the USS Oriskany, killing forty-four. Although the investigation report cited errors of safety checks on the Zuni rocket, it concluded that no one on board was directly responsible for the fire and subsequent explosions, and recommended that no disciplinary or administrative action be taken against any persons attached to the ship or its air wing. A fire July 29, 1967, killed 134 men and injured dozens more. USS Forrestal (CVA-59). [9][pageneeded], Based on lessons learned during Japanese attacks on vessels during World War II, most sailors on board ships after World War II received training in fighting shipboard fires. Find USS Saint Paul (CA-73) unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. For RATING SHIRTS - Click on your Rating Abbreviation below: Beling made flag, but his orders to command a carrier battle group were cancelled by new CNO Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, andBeling was reassigned to command of the Iceland Defense Force, from which he retired as a rear admiral. The conflagration took place as heavily-armed and fueled aircraft were being prepared for combat missions over North Vietnam. In addition to the pin, a "pigtail" connected the electrical wiring of the missile to the rocket pod. Regardless, shrapnel ripped into both aircraft, and both were immediately sprayed by fuel; a pool of fuel ignited between and under the two aircraft. Click to View Online Archive On July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal. [9][pageneeded] It was common for aircraft to launch with six or more rocket packs, each containing four rockets. They concluded Beling knew that the Zuni missiles had a history of problems, and he should have made more effort to confirm that the ordnance crew was following procedure in handling the ordnance. It is also designed to deflagrate instead of detonate when it reaches its ignition point in a fire, either melting the case and producing no explosion at all, or, at most, a subsonic low order detonation at a fraction of its normal power. US Navy/PH2 Mason As the bombs began to glow cherry red from the heat, the damage-control team's. Recruits are tested on their knowledge and skills by having to use portable extinguishers and charged hoses to fight fires, as well as demonstrating the ability to egress from compartments that are heated and filled with smoke. Although the board of investigation reached the opinion that the Zuni rocket hit 405, there is some ambiguity in eyewitness accounts as to whether the rocket hit 405 or the plane next to it, 416, piloted by Lieutenant Commander John McCain. LT(JG) Don Dameworth and LT(JG) David Dollarhide were injured escaping their aircraft. USS Forrestal (CV 59) Crew List The table below contains the names of sailors who served aboard the USS Forrestal (CV 59). [6], The investigation found that safety regulations should have prevented the Zuni rocket from firing. As the ship prepared for its second strike of the day, at 1050, everything changed. The fire on board her, as well as subsequent fires on board two other aircraft carriers, the USS Forrestal (CV-59) in 1967 and USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1969, led the Navy to improve training and . The Forrestal fire marks the second worst loss of life on a Navy ship after World War II. [39] From 8 to 15 April 1968, he sailed the ship down the Elizabeth River and out into the waters off the Virginia Capes for post-repair trials, the ship's first time at sea in 207 days. The Forrestal Fire The other H6-based bombs performed as designed and either burned on the deck or were jettisoned, but did not detonate under the heat of the fires. It soon engulfed the rear of the ship and set off bombs, missiles and other ordnance. USS Forrestal Fire Victims Dedicated to the victims of the explosion on the USS Forrestal, which happened on July 29, 1967. Download image. The training films Learn or Burn (which included film from the flight-deck PLATT camera that filmed the entire Forrestal event) and Trial by Fire: A Carrier Fights for Life have influenced countless firefighting, damage-control, and recruit-training classes. Wracked by eight high-order explosions of thin-shelled Korean Warvintage bombs and a number of smaller weapons explosions, the worlds first supercarrier was mere minutes away from the bottom of the Gulf of Tonkin. 110,) was spotted on the extreme starboard quarter of the flight deck. [16][10] The bomb fell in a pool of burning fuel between White's and McCain's aircraft. The USS Kitty Hawk was an aircraft carrier constructed by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. [27] Not all of the pilots were able to get out of their aircraft in time. Another destroyer, USSRupertus, maneuvered as close as 20 feet (6m) to Forrestal for 90 minutes, directing her own on-board fire hoses at the burning flight and hangar deck on the starboard side, and at the port-side aft 5-inch gun mount. As the pilot of F-4B 110 shifted from external to internal power, multiple electrical malfunctions ignited one of the four 5-inch Mk-32 Zuni unguided rockets in a pod on external stores station 2 (port inboard station), which fired across the flight deck and struck VF-46 A-4E No. 17 Apr. The newly established Farrier Firefighting School 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. A total of ten bombs exploded during the fire. Two more of the unstable 1,000 lb bombs exploded 10 seconds after the first, and a fourth blew up 44 seconds after that. In the tightly packed formation on the aft deck, every aircraft, all fully fueled and bomb-laden, was damaged. Please note that the scans in the download are the same images like above, however, they have not been resized. During the post-fire refit, 175 feet (53m) of the flight deck was replaced, along with about 200 compartments on the 03, 02, 01 decks. USN 1124794. 1967 USS Forrestal fire 1967 1967 USS Rupertus (DD-851) 20 Fire-fighting teams, pilots, and squadron personnel on deck were knocked down, injured or killed by the series of explosions. 1967. At 20:33, the fires in the 02 and 03 levels were contained, but the areas were still too hot to enter. Your ORIGINAL HOMETOWN and State are asked for because that confirms who you are in your shipmate's memories. On 29 July 1967, Forrestal (CVA-59) experienced a severe fire while operating on Yankee Station off Vietnam that killed 134 Sailors and aviators, injured 161, and destroyed 21 aircraft. Another sailor volunteered to be lowered by line through a hole in the flight deck to defuse a live bomb that had dropped to the 03 leveleven though the compartment was still on fire and full of smoke. The ship's four aft 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 guns were removed. Sec/Treasurer USS FORRESTAL CVA/CV/AVT-59 Association, The Nation's First Supercarrier "First In Def USS Forrestal Association The Zuni was protected from launching by a safety pin that was only to be removed prior to launch from the catapult. Additionally, you will also receive an email with the download link after the Paypal check-out. HullNumber.com does not share your information. Holmes appended a Letter of Reprimand for Captain Beling to the final report, which was removed by direct order of CNO Admiral Thomas Moorer. Surrounded by water, but with nowhere to go, no way to escape, Sailors on USS Forrestal (CVA 59) watched in horror for one split second as flames began to engulf their ship, July 29, 1967.. Holmes disagreed with many portions of the Navy's report into the Forrestal disaster, including the section clearing Beling. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Then in 1967, a Zuni rocket mounted on a fighter onboard the. This film depicts an accident that occurred in 1967 off the coast of Vietnam involving the USS Forrestal. Includes biographical information on the ships namesake, Secretary of Defense James V. Forrestal, and a chronology of the ships service. 8, led by Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Gerald Farrier. Farrier, without taking the time to locate and put on protective clothing, immediately attempted to smother the bomb with a PKP fire extinguisher, attempting to delay the fuel fire from spreading and give the pilots time to escape their aircraft. You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. The United States Navy uses the Forrestal fire and the lessons learned from it when teaching damage control and ammunition safety. I am searching for a Crew List for the USS Forrestal for the day of the explosion and fire in July 1967 History Hub Site Search User Site Search User Military Records Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Records Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Records ForumSeeking crew list of USS Forrestal More Cancel New Overview Question and Answer Forum Copyright 2023 HullNumber.com. The 1966 USS Oriskany Fire was a major fire that broke out aboard the Essex -class aircraft carrier USS Oriskany on the morning of 26 October 1966. The brief combat period on Yankee Station was cut short when, on July 29, 1967, the Forrestal fire occurred. A motivational film for Navy personnel on the prevention of fire and for learning firefighting damage control measures. In recent years, articles have appeared on the internet that are extremely inaccurate and generally intend to unfairly tarnish the reputation of Senator John S. McCain III, who survived the fire. This evaluation is still carried out by the Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board. Standard procedure was to store them in the ship's magazine with the rest of the air wing's ordnance; had they been stored as standard, an accidental detonation could easily have destroyed the ship. How the 1967 Fire on USS Forrestal Improved Future U.S. Navy Damage Control ReadinessA Sextant blog post by Hank Stewart, Commander, USN (Retired), Assistant Professor of Engineering, Maine Maritime Academy. Due to the extent of the damage to Forrestal, there are still details that remain unknown. [11]:123124 The unstable Composition B in the old bombs enhanced the power of the explosions. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images . [9][pageneeded] They ruled he was not responsible for the disaster,[9]:117 but he was nonetheless transferred to staff work, and never returned to active command. HullNumber.com does not retain your payment information if you make a purchase. At that time, a VF-11 F-4B (No. Forrestal (CVA-59) crewmen are assisted by those fromRupertus (DD-851) in fighting the fires raging aboard Forrestal, while a helicopter ferries firefighting supplies to the burning ship. The Sextant blog post by Chief Damage Controlman (SW/AW) Teddy Yates discussing the tragedy and the impact of the fire. He went to the hangar deck and took command of a firefighting team. On July 29, 1967, a tragic string of events culminated in disaster on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal resulting in the deaths of 134 sailors. Forrestal was the first Atlantic Fleet carrier on Yankee Station, and she had been there only five days. Seven holes were ripped through the deck from explosions of 750 lb., 500 lb., and 1000 lb. Check out our, High Resolution Images, suitable for printing, Images are in the book's original order (not sorted like the scans above), Double pages with overlapping images will be provided as a single page, not as two separate pages, .pdf file, 352 pages, filesize: 631.19 MB. The number of casualties quickly overwhelmed the ship's medical teams, and Forrestal was escorted by USSHenry W. Tucker to rendezvous with hospital ship USSRepose at 20:54, allowing the crew to begin transferring the dead and wounded at 22:53. The resulting fire was fanned by 32-knot (59km/h; 37mph) winds and the exhaust of at least three jets. (Three months later, on 26 October 1967, flying from OriskanyCVA-34Lieutenant Commander McCain would be shot down over North Vietnam on his 23rd bombing mission.). On January 16, 2006, WMR reported that according to a US Navy sailor who was aboard the Forrestal on the fateful day of the fire, "McCain and the Forrestal's skipper, Capt. According to one crew member on Diamond Head, when they had arrived at Subic Bay to pick up their load of ordnance for the carriers, the base personnel who had prepared the AN-M65A1 bombs for transfer assumed Diamond Head had been ordered to dump them at sea on the way back to Yankee Station. 135 of them include images. Printing is also easily possible because of the high resolution and the missing watermarks. In the next two years, new firefighting . On 18 September 1967, Captain Robert B. Baldwin assumed command of Forrestal. At least one of the Skyhawks M-65 1,000-lb. Henry P. Stewart; Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS. US Navy aircraft carrier USS Forrestal on fire off the coast of Vietnam, July 29, 1967. This information was extracted from the Manual of the Judge Advocate General Basic Final Investigative Report Concerning the Fire on Board the USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59), portions of which are available from the U.S. Navy JAG online library. Please check NARAs web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. Lessons Learned. [22], Of the 73 aircraft aboard the carrier, 21 were destroyed: seven F-4B Phantom IIs, eleven A-4E Skyhawks, and three RA-5C Vigilantes. [1] Several men jumped or were blown into the ocean. Even today the Navy commonly refers to the fire aboard Forrestal, and the lessons learned, when teaching damage control and ammunition safety. Another was the installation of a flight-deck washdown system that could spread water or foam as needed, with the first being installed on Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42) during her 196869 refit. They found that the pigtail was connected early, that the TER pin on the faulty Zuni missile was likely blown free, and that the missile fired when a power surge occurred as the pilot transferred his systems from external to internal power. Unlike the thick-cased Mark 83 bombs filled with Composition H6, the AN-M65A1 bombs were thin-skinned and filled with Composition B, an older explosive with greater shock and heat sensitivity. At slightly more than 90 seconds into the fire, the bomb exploded. They pushed aircraft, missiles, rockets, bombs, and burning fragments over the side. US Navy Fuel and fire spread throughout the flight deck causing a chain. [6][11]:123,124 The fire aboard Forrestal was the second of three serious fires to strike American carriers in the 1960s. [19]:35 Farrier, recognizing that a lethal cook-off was imminent, shouted for his firefighters to withdraw, but the bomb detonatedone minute and 36 seconds after the start of the fire. The repair cost about $72 million ($561million in 2021 dollars), and took nearly five months to complete. [27][1], The destroyer USSGeorge K. MacKenzie pulled men from the water and directed its fire hoses on the burning ship. NORFOLK, Va. - Wednesday marks 53 years since a deadly fire broke out on the former USS Forrestal aircraft carrier, killing more than . Although some of these records have been digitized, the ones for the USS Forrestal are not. McCain, pilot of A-4 Skyhawk side No. Planes blaze on the deck of USS Forrestal in July 1967. USS FORRESTAL AIRCRAFT CARRIER FIRE TRIAL BY FIRE MOVIE 1967 42704 Watch on The Sequence of Events The fire began when a Mark 32 five inch Zuni unguided folding fin aerial rocket (FFAR) was accidentally fired from a LAU-10 four shot rocket pod due to an electrical power surge during the switch from external to internal power. Active duty personnel presented American flags to represent each sailor who died. [10], The damage control team specializing in on-deck firefighting for Forrestal was Damage Control Team No. Battling the fires below deck was more difficult than that topside with the confined spaces, little light, thick black smoke, and toxic fumes. So I went up and defused them and had them jettisoned." But the fire on July 29, 1967, did much more than that. Most dangerous of all, several bombs were seen to be leaking liquid paraffin phlegmatizing agent from their seams, an unmistakable sign that the bomb's explosive filler had degenerated with excessive age, and exposure to heat and moisture. Herbert A. HullNumber.com takes your privacy seriously. In the case of Enterprise, lessons learned from Forrestal (and not having old and unstable ordnance on board) resulted in the fire being contained more rapidly with fewer casualties. bombs. Crew members fight a series of fires and explosions on the carrier's after flight deck, in the Gulf of Tonkin, 29 July 1967. Article from Naval Aviation News, October 1967, compiled and edited by Senior Chief Journalist John D. Burlage. Forrestal was an aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Vietnam that experienced a catastrophic fire on July 29, 1967. Veterans who served on the USS Forrestal accompany their former captain, retired Rear Adm. John K. Beling, in wheelchair, at a ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial honoring the 134 sailors who were . Of those who died, 50 died where they slept. Twenty-seven men were injured. After it completed required inspections for the upcoming West Pacific cruise, it sailed to Brazil for a show of force. Fifty-four seconds after the initiation of the fire, Chief Gerald W. Farrier, head of the firefighting team, attacked the cracked and furiously burning bomb with a hand-held extinguisher. 134 memorials Page of 7 PO Marvin Jarrell Adkins 28 Jul 1934 - 29 Jul 1967 Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA Plot info: Section 46, Site 556-558 SMN Everett Albert Allen NH 97657-KN. Forrestal's ordnance handlers had never even seen an AN-M65A1 before, and to their shock, the bombs delivered from Diamond Head were in terrible condition; coated with "decades of accumulated rust and grime" and still in their original packing crates (now moldy and rotten); some were stamped with production dates as early as 1953. 405, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Fred D. On 29 July 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USSForrestal after an electrical anomaly caused a Zuni rocket on an F-4B Phantom to fire, striking an external fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk. It is estimated that there are between 50,000 and 90,000 Blue Water Navy veterans. Historically, VA has excluded Blue Water Navy veterans from its presumption of herbicide agent exposure. This was (and remains) the second worst loss of life on a U.S. Navy ship since World War II. Most of the pilots on the aft of the flight deck were able to escape, but two more (besides White,) Lieutenant Dennis Barton and Lieutenant Commander Gerry Stark, were killed in the explosions. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. At 1050, Forrestal commenced early launch of two KA-3B tankers, an EA-1, and an E-2A in preparation for an 1100 launch of a 24-plane Alpha Strike, the second of the day. The investigation panel recommended several changes to safety procedures aboard carriers. 110, Bureau Number 153061), flown by Lieutenant Commander James E. Bangert and Lieutenant (JG) Lawrence E. McKay from VF-11,[1] was positioned on the aft starboard corner of the deck, pointing about 45 degrees across the ship. Other carriers had problems with the Zuni rockets. The accidental firing was due to the simultaneous malfunction of three components: CA42282 pylon electrical disconnect, TER-7 safety switch, and LAU-10/A shorting device. It also modified its weapon handling procedures and installed a deck wash down system on all carriers. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. If you served in USS Forrestal (CVA-59), Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. The fire broke out after a lit flare was locked in a flare locker. Chief Farrier immediately smothered the bombs with a PKP (Purple K) extinguisher in order to cool them. . [14][9][pageneeded] Their report concluded that a Zuni rocket on the portside TER-7 on external stores station 2 of F-4B No. Beling was assigned temporary duty on the staff of Admiral Ephraim P. Holmes, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Disaster 1967: Remembering the USS Forrestal Fire It was the largest fire on a U.S. warship since World War II. 405, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. [48] All current Navy recruits receive week-long training in compartment identification, fixed and portable extinguishers, battle dress, self-contained breathing apparatus and emergency escape breathing devices. The rocket itself actually impacted the ocean beyond both aircraft. The ship survived, but with damage exceeding US$72 million, not including the damage to aircraft. [1], The board of investigation stated, "Poor and outdated doctrinal and technical documentation of ordnance and aircraft equipment and procedures, evident at all levels of command, was a contributing cause of the accidental rocket firing." The Forrestal's crew moved toward their assigned "battle stations." When General Quarters was set, Forrestal's crew members fully manned all positions in the ship's damage control organization. Fifty years ago today, on July 29, 1967, the U.S. Navy suffered the single worst disaster aboard ship since the last days of World War II: the fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.That morning, Forrestal, the Navy's first supercarrier, was preparing for one of its first major strikes against targets in North Vietnam.At 10:50am, a rocket from an F-4 Phantom misfired across the . "Before the end of that year, they were . On 29 July 1967, USS Forrestal (CVA/CV-59) suffered a catastrophic fire during flight operations while on Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam. 134 of them died at sea, in the Gulf of Tonkin, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.The carrier had accidentally caught fire after a rocket misfired below the flight deck, igniting a fuel tank. USS Forrestal : American Casualties We have 135 casualty profiles listed in our archive. [28] Bodies and debris were hurled as far as the bow of the ship. The fire killed 134 men and seriously injured 64. Many more were wounded but did not report their injuries because of the severity of those of their shipmates. On July 29, 1967, a rocket was accidentally fired aboard Forrestal, causing massive damage to the ship and a fire that killed 134 Sailors and injured many more. (2) 19min 2019 16+. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, Download PDF of October 1967 issue [5 MB], All Hands Update: Remembering the 1967 USS, National Naval Aviation Museum Ensures USS. Names of the dead are also listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Twenty seconds later the hose crew arrived and fought the periphery of the fire. She went on to serve until 11 September 1993 when she was decommissioned after 21 deployments. Some of the burning fuel was spread by untrained hose teams using water on a fuel (Class B) fire, in some cases washing away foam laid by other teams and reigniting the fire. While accomplishing trials, the ship also recorded its first arrested landing since the fire, when Commander Robert E. Ferguson, Commander, CVW-17, landed on board.[1]. But the memo and the decision were never communicated to Captain Beling, the ship's commanding officer, who was required to approve such decisions. Firefighting was greatly hampered because of smoke and heat. Includes historic imagery and remarks from former Forrestal crew member. The death and incapacitation of the entire specialized fire-fighting team in the initial explosion had critical impact. It had to be cut from the ship while being supported by the shipyard's hammerhead crane. Video from 45th annual commemoration ceremony of the fire. She never made another Vietnam cruise. At 18:44, fires were still burning in the ship's carpenter shop and in the aft compartments. Forrestal crew members continued to put out hot spots, clear smoke, and cool hot steel on the 02 and 03 levels. The 76,000-ton carrier was on the fifth . 110 of VF-11, spotted on the extreme starboard quarter of the flight deck, struck A-4 No. "[40]:7, This incorrect description has been cited as a cautionary tale on the importance of avoiding electromagnetic interference. Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified In March of 1967, Ken Killmeyer became a crew member of USS Forrestal CVA-59, the first of the. The Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free at www.adobe.com. The Navy in its definitive report on the eventManual of the Judge Advocate General Basic Final Investigative Report Concerning the Fire on Board the USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59)concluded that a stray electrical signal ignited the motor of a Zuni rocket carried by an F-4B Phantom II on the starboard quarter and shot across the deck, striking the external fuel tank of a fully armed A-4E Skyhawk on the port. [36] The U.S. Navy implemented safety reviews for weapons systems brought on board ships for use or for transshipment. On 29 July 1967, Forrestal (CVA-59) experienced a severe fire while operating on Yankee Station off Vietnam that killed 134 Sailors and aviators, injured 161, and destroyed 21 aircraft. It took many hours to account for the ship's crew. [27], The first bomb detonation destroyed White's and McCain's aircraft, blew a crater in the armored flight deck, and sprayed the deck and crew with bomb fragments and shrapnel from the destroyed aircraft. Remembering Forrestal If you contact a Shipmate through HullNumber, your email address is not displayed in the message to your Shipmate. F-4B Phantom II (VF-11 / CVW-17) embarked on USS Forrestal (CVA 59) was refueled by a KA-6D Intruder of VA-85 - circa 1971-73 . McCain, then a lieutenant commander, was assigned to the carrier and flew an A-4E Skyhawk jet. [1], From 19 September 1967 to 8 April 1968, Forrestal underwent repairs in Norfolk Naval Shipyard, beginning with removal of the starboard deck-edge elevator, which was stuck in place.

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