On the fateful morning of July 29, 1967, the USS Forrestal (AVT 59), then deployed in the Gulf of Tonkin for the Vietnam War effort, experienced a catastrophic incident that reshaped the U.S. Navy’s approach to damage control and emergency response. The disaster struck when a misfire of a Zuni rocket from an F-4 Phantom jet hit an A-4 Skyhawk—piloted by a young Lt. Cmdr. John S. McCain III—rupturing fuel tanks and setting off a series of fires and explosions. The conflagration raged, claiming the lives of 134 and injuring 300 others. Additionally, it resulted in the destruction of more 26 aircraft, with more than 30 more damaged.
The Forrestal, the Navy’s first supercarrier, commissioned on October 1, 1955, at Newport News, Virginia, had been a symbol of American might and innovation. This tragic event, however, underscored the inherent risks of naval aviation and the urgency for more effective safety measures aboard aircraft carriers.
The fire on the USS Forrestal’s flight deck was fought for over an hour, with flames persisting well into the next day. This incident prompted the Navy to institute major changes in damage control and firefighting procedures. The calamity and the subsequent response illustrate a poignant testament to the Navy’s commitment to learning from its most harrowing experiences.
As painful as the events of July 29 were, the lessons learned from the USS Forrestal fire were invaluable. In the aftermath, the Navy overhauled its damage control and firefighting protocols, significantly improving safety aboard its vessels. These reforms have saved countless lives in the decades since. Despite the accident, the Navy learned fire-fighting lessons still in practice today.
The story of the USS Forrestal did not end with the fire. After restoration in 1968, Forrest returned to the Mediterranean and deployed to the region several times over the next seven years. Reclassified as CV-59 in 1975, she served as the host ship for the U.S. Bicentennial celebration in New York City in July 1976. In the following years, Forrestal actively confronted Libya in March 1981 and received the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) in 1983-85. In the late 1980s, she took part in Operation Serious Will, which protected merchant ships in the Middle East. During the Persian Gulf War in 1990-91, she was on standby in the Atlantic and provided air support to assist the Kurds in Operation Comfort in 1991. After this operation, she became a training aircraft carrier and was renamed AVT-59. After being repaired, the carrier continued to serve with distinction until its decommissioning on September 11, 1993. Eventually, after failing to become a museum ship, the vessel was scrapped in December 2015.
Forrestal’s model is on display in the “America’s War in Vietnam” section of Building 70 of the U.S. Naval National Museum (Cold War Gallery) until 2022. The model has since been removed from the monitor.
Relevant articles:
– Asbestos on Aircraft Carriers, gorilaw.com
– USS Forrestal (CVA, navy.mil
– USS Forrestal Sold for 1 Cent, vintageaviationnews.com