American History

mahatmakanejeeves

(65,946 posts) Wed Jul 30, 2025, 07:57 AM Wednesday

On July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal.

1967 USS Forrestal fire

USS Forrestal on fire, the worst US carrier fire
since World War II; the destroyer Rupertus
maneuvers to within 20 ft (6 m) to use fire hoses.

On 29 July 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal 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. The flammable jet fuel spilled across the flight deck, ignited, and triggered a chain reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161. At the time, Forrestal was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, during the Vietnam War. The ship survived, but with damage exceeding US$72 million, not including the damage to aircraft. Future United States Senator John McCain and future four-star admiral and U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Ronald J. Zlatoper were among the survivors. Another on-board officer, Lieutenant Tom Treanore, later returned to the ship as its commander and retired an admiral.

The incident was the second of three serious fires to strike American carriers in the 1960s. A 1966 fire aboard USS Oriskany killed 44 and injured 138 and a 1969 fire aboard USS Enterprise killed 28 and injured 314.

The disaster prompted the Navy to revise its firefighting practices. It also modified its weapon handling procedures and installed a deck wash down system on all carriers. 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.

{snip}

Mon Jul 29, 2024: On this day, July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal.

Today is the anniversary of another event that changed how fires would be fought in the future.

Mon Jul 29, 2024: On this day, July 29, 1973, Roger Williamson died in a wreck at Zandvoort.

Sat Jul 29, 2023: On this day, July 29, 1973, Roger Williamson died in a wreck at Zandvoort.

-- -- -- -- -- --

Sat Jul 29, 2023: On this day, July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal.

Fri Jul 29, 2022: On this day, July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal.

Thu Jul 29, 2021: On this day, July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal.

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On July 29, 1967, a fire broke out on board the USS Forrestal. (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Wednesday OP

We used to call it the USS Forest Fire DemMedic Wednesday #1

I had a friend who was on board during that time. OldBaldy1701E Wednesday #2

John McCain did not show his heroics at the Hanoi Hilton, he showed it here on the Forestal ... marble falls Wednesday #3

BTW: the Oriskany was especially bad. Taking flares out of a space where they were stored, a sailor caught a ... marble falls Wednesday #4

DemMedic

(459 posts)

1. We used to call it the USS Forest Fire

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Wed Jul 30, 2025, 08:00 AM

Wednesday

N/T

OldBaldy1701E

(8,480 posts)

2. I had a friend who was on board during that time.

Reply to DemMedic (Reply #1)

Wed Jul 30, 2025, 08:19 AM

Wednesday

It was a crazy thing to hear about. (Even the day we were talking about it, there were some things he could not discuss about the incident.)

And, yes, he sometimes referred to her as the 'U.S.S. Forest Fire' as well.

He was also stationed on the U.S.S. Hancock during Operation Frequent Wind.

marble falls

(67,172 posts)

3. John McCain did not show his heroics at the Hanoi Hilton, he showed it here on the Forestal ...

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Wed Jul 30, 2025, 08:26 AM

Wednesday

... sustaining second and third degree burns rescuing another pilot trapped in his plane.

When I was in, the Forestall was still fresh news. The Navy has cameras going all the time all over the ship and flight deck. We were shown the films from the Forestal showing what was happening all over the ship as it happened, uncut.

A jet warmer got backed up to the nose of a heat seeking missile. It went off. One of the more dramatic scenes were five guys on a fire team running across the flight deck with a hose to get to the fire when some ordinance went off and in the shockwave, the men and the hose just disappeared.

That film made me glad to be a bubblehead, and also caused me to pay close attention at fire suppression school, where we burnt and put out a many time 'rescued' fighter plane. And smelled like kerosene for the rest of the day. Tip: stay out of the smoke as much as possible.

marble falls

(67,172 posts)

4. BTW: the Oriskany was especially bad. Taking flares out of a space where they were stored, a sailor caught a ...

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Wed Jul 30, 2025, 08:46 AM

Wednesday

... a lanyard on the hatch dog. When it went off he tossed it back into the locker and dogged the hatch thinking it would smother the flare. Unfortunately, it was a magnesium flare and magnesium makes it's own oxygen. Compounded horribly by the fact that when the space was turned into a flare locker, the ventilation to the space was not blocked. This put fumes throughout the ship and almost all the dead died beneath deck and from the smoke.

We have a saying in the Navy, a sailor is a someone you can put naked into a completely dark round room with a ball bearing and he will lose it, trade it or break it.

We do screw up and we go down trying to save the ship, which we do save 99% of the time.

Ask the Russians how difficult it is to keep an aircraft carrier at sea. They gave up on their last one a few weeks ago, the US has 16, most nuclear. And another five on order or being built or being fitted out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_of_the_United_States_Navy

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