USS Forrestal Mishap July 29, 1967

Lately there is a political conspiracy to smear, slander and defame McCain. As the evidence clearly shows it would be absurd to try to blame McCain. With the political primaries there has been a figurative political assassination attempt to slander McCain by saying an insinuating that McCain murdered his crewmen by deliberately causing this mishap. The facts and evidence clearly shows that McCain was a victim and not responsible for this mishap. The real experts agree, the only "experts" that disagree are clearly politically motivated since the self-proclaimed "experts" bashing McCain didn't pop up until the election started heating up.

I find it despicable that these hateful political activists resort to slandering McCain a military veteran POW in good standing.

I have mixed feelings about McCain's politics. Regardless on how you feel about his politics you should respect the man for volunteering to go into harm's way to serve the military and his country and for being a POW and suffering torture that most people couldn't fathom.

I think these political activists that are spamming their slander should spend eternity in hell. I really wish someone with some legal expertise would find some way to file charges and prosecute them while they still are alive.
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As far as I know is the first time this video has been made readily available on the Internet to the GP when I posted this on Youtube. ;)

I think there is an old documentary VHS tape that might have this footage. And I have seen a few documentaries on cable TV that has SOME of this footage.


This tape is old and damaged. The video is poor but audio/narration is good. There is some better video out there but I think they have more film cut out.Some clipped and edited differently. This is just a short clip with some scenes often not shown.

http://forrestal.org/fidfacts/page13.htm

A ZUNI rocket was fired accidentally from an aircraft being readied for a mission on July 29, 1967. The rocket screamed across the flight deck, struck another aircraft and ignited a fuel fire. The initial fire could have been contained, but 90 seconds after the fire started a bomb detonated, killing or seriously wounding most of the fire fighters.

The detonation ruptured the flight deck, and burning fuel spilled into the lower levels of the ship. Bombs, warheads, and rocket motors exploded with varying egress of intensity in the fire, killing 134 and wounding 161 men. Twenty-one aircraft were destroyed

After this incident, the Navy established a flag level committee to pursue improvements to the systems used to control flight deck fuel fires. An ordnance safety program was also initiated to characterize flight deck fuel fires and study ways to delay the "cook-off" times of munitions. As a result; insulation is now applied to some bomb casings, delaying "cook-off" times 5 to 10 minutes in a fuel fire, but does not diminish the violence of its explosive reaction.
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Please be civil and don't use any vulgarities and such
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More info at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_USS_Forrestal_fire

http://www.sailorstotheend.com/sailors.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ2gy--k3Dw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzgV5QM5fi8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdaD9I5QN6c

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• USS
• Forrestal
• Aircraft
• carrier
• USN
• Navy
• Fighter
• Fire
• Explosion
• Mishap
• Safety

[zargnop]

I remember watching a doco about this insident. It was narrowed down to the 'Remove Before Flight" tags not being seated properly in the ordinance electrical system.

[ATFSCrash]

@zargnop

Actually there are several circumstances that probably had to happen for this mishap to happen. Some theorize that the high winds on the safety flags may have blown the safety pins out. The records seem to indicate that there was an unofficial procedural change of removing the safety pins and hooking up the electrical harness prematurely that was a contributing factors.

[RickyJ46]

Selfless acts of heroism and ultimate sacrifice.

[MmgtasanandreasMm]

my grandfather was there

[wrkiser]

Where does our Navy find folks with such courage and character? When every fiber of their being would have them run away they run TOWARD the flames. Extraordinary. Simply extraordinary.

[ATFSCrash]

@rockinredneck57

Even though McCain had shrapnel wounds to the chest and legs (and probable lung damage from breathing in fire and smoke) he apparently helped rescue other crewmen (that were unable to egress themselves) and helped fight the fire

[rockinredneck57]

@bwild61 He was not only on the flight deck, he was strapped into the first plane to get hit by the wayward missile. YOu remember like I do, "Trial by Fire"

[rockinredneck57]

@enomarekim It takes a person who can't walk on water to run toward a fire on a ship. That ship is your home and you are its protectors. The crew IS the fire dept. there was a fire squad on duty and all the flight deck personnel were trained firefighters as well. If they don't run back, hundreds more die and maybe the ship sinks. It's one of those deals where, you had to have been there to fully understand.

[tailspin37]

I served aboard this ship, and It broke my heart to see all those men killed.

Unfortunately, I was on her from 1956 to 1959, long before she had this

incident. She was a fine ship, the good USS Forrestal CVA-59.

Here I am now, 72 yeaars old, and I truly miss my time on her.

God Bless the US Navy, and All Who Serve.

John RM2

[macgriffyn]

I believe that was a RA-5 Vigilante...must be too damaged to salvage and they pushed it over to clear the deck. Seems like a damn waste, but that was the Navy in the 60's...

[macgriffyn]

I believe that was an RA-5 Vigilante. It's probably being disposed of because it's too damaged and they needed to clear the deck...seems like a damn waste to me, but that was the Navy in the 60's.

[enomarekim]

A firefighter will fun into a burning building while everyone else is running out, but what kind of person does it take to run towards a fire that is about to detonate two bombs. That is scary.