[painter]

McCain’s showboating wet start on the USS Forrestal caused a Zuni rocket to launch on the deck of the aircraft carrier, causing a fire and explosions that killed 134 men.

The USS Forrestal almost sank because of this!

[mplsconservative]

Bumping your post. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but he was a dishonorable man. Glad he’s gone finally.

[gcraig]

The zuni rocket was mounted on an F-4 Phantom aircraft. McCain was in an A-4 Skyhawk. When I was in the USN we had to watch the Forrestall film every year, and in the film it was documented that a tractor mounted APU exhaust caused the zuni rocket to fire and hit McCain’s aircraft across the flight deck. The wikipedia account describes an electrical malfunction caused the zuni rocket to fire. I wasn’t there so I can’t know with certainty, but I have never heard that a showboating wet start caused the fire. I used to troubleshoot F/A-18 aircraft and I can’t imagine intentionally wet starting an F-404 engine. The Skyhawk had a single J-52 but an intentional wet start wouldn’t cause an explosion IIRC.

[Verginius Rufus]

The Wikipedia article “1967 USS Forrestal fire” makes McCain totally innocent. No surprise there.