 July 29, 1967, USS Forest Hall was deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin for operations against North Vietnam. In the late morning hours, as flight deck preparations were being made, the unthinkable happened. An electrical surge caused the unintended launch of a Zuni rocket from an F-4 Phantom into an A-4 Skyhawk. This launch caused a chain of events that would cascade into a sailor's worst nightmare, a fire at sea. The fully-fueled and armed aircraft on the flight deck burst into flames. 1,000-pound bombs were exposed directly to the fire. Bomb after bomb exploded, rocking the entire ship. The highly-trained fire party was decimated by initial explosions. The fire burned for hours, resulting in the loss of 134 sailors. The fire destroyed 21 aircraft and cost the Navy more than $70 million. This accident exposed major gaps in the Navy's firefighting training and response. The fleet took note and quickly made changes to improve processes, many of which are still in use today.