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Revisiting CV-59 USS Forrestal fire July 29 1967
various ^ | Nov 18, 2017 | beeuster2000

Posted on 11/18/2017 1:47:46 AM PST by beebuster2000

With all the discussion of John McCain, and with the recent spate of Naval accidents, I found it most interesting to re-vist one of the most catastrophic accidents of the last 40 years, the fire on the USS Forrestal, which killed or injured 300 sailors and came close to losing the ship. Like recent Naval accidents, it was a series of unplanned and unforeseen events, combined with training lapses and poor judgements, all combined with insanely bad luck. And like recent Naval events incredible sailor heroism and self sacrifice when it counted.

PS: there has always been rumor about McCain role in the fire, but there is no evidence whatsoever he did anything but narrowly escape from his burning jet, which was parked next to the initial ignited jet struck by the rocket.


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: forrestal; mccain; navalaccidents
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To: Captain Peter Blood

Word is McCain as head of Senate Defense Committee—or something, has sealed all history records. Families unable to see history.

Do you know why he did that?


41 posted on 11/18/2017 12:28:24 PM PST by PraiseTheLord
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To: PraiseTheLord

No, but then I am not surprised. Must be something in there he doesn’t want anyone to see.


42 posted on 11/18/2017 12:53:28 PM PST by Captain Peter Blood
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To: Terry Mross
"...Of course, when we got ours we kept the BS flowing on down hill..."

Heh, I have a suspicion this probably took place in the Roman legions...:)

43 posted on 11/18/2017 1:48:11 PM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: American Liberty is the egg that requires breaking to make their Utopian omelette.)
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To: PraiseTheLord

I would suggest you start a separate thread on that subject. Might well be interesting to those who wonder the same thing. Doesn’t have anything to do with this subject, and you don’t want to hijack beebuster2000’s thread, do you?


44 posted on 11/18/2017 1:50:29 PM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: American Liberty is the egg that requires breaking to make their Utopian omelette.)
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To: exit82

“He might as well have been working for the other side.”

If the truth were told, he is still working for the other side.


45 posted on 11/18/2017 3:39:40 PM PST by oldvirginian ("Let others have the present. The future is mine."--Nikola Tesla)
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To: mountainlion

My sources are the training I received in the Navy that was based upon what happened on the Forrestal.

Also....I saw a very long movie made from live filming of the actual catastrophe.

Prior to the Forrestal catastophe the wiring on ships and missiles was not isulated in a manner that shielded stray RF (radio frequency) transmissions.

As more and more RF was put in use you ended up with equipment that ran at similar frequencies and in the forrestal case....a stray RF signal that was close enough to the “hot” Zoomie (Zuni) missile’s launch signal made its way into the missile and it launched across the deck and struck the plane drectly adjacent to McStain’s aircraft.

McStain did not contribute to this explosion in any way.

The trained firefighting deck crews were killed or blown overboard early.

The lessons learned included changing how they insulate for and protect against stray RF, some ordinance handling changes on carrier decks, and of vital importance was the inculcating of advanced firefighting techniques across the fleet and beginning in boot camp.

The crew members who races to put out the fires on the flight deck after the initial crews were killed or blown overboars in the ordinance explosions were nit fighting the fires properly.

For jet fuel and fuel oil fires you lay down a layer of firefighting foam which then blankets the fuel and smothers the fire.

Some crew wer doing this and others were pouring water on the fire which was washing the foam overboard.

So the blanket of foam was gone and the fuel burned on top of the water.....so eveytime they would make progress they then washed away what they needed.

Also...the water washed fuel oil into the lower decks as it soread through the now gaping holes that the bombs cooking off created.

McStain can not be held accountable or reaponsible for any of these facts.

I can still here the voice if the Forrestal’s captain as he addressed his crew over the ships public address system (the “1MC” ships address system) during the battle to save the ship. He was in co trol and gave clear and calm orders to the crew....which I bet if any if the crew members were asked today they would tell us made them bith understand tjey were fighting for their lives and that they could win.

McStain has plenty if things we can hate him for....I won’t blame him for something he is not responsible for...especially when it resulted in so many deaths and life changing injuries.


46 posted on 11/18/2017 10:01:30 PM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Repeal & replace Obamacare, tax reform, fix infrastructure, fixin military, Israel, kill enemies)
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To: beebuster2000

Thanks for the recommendation...I am going to see if I can find it now. FReegards...:)


47 posted on 11/18/2017 10:12:43 PM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: American Liberty is the egg that requires breaking to make their Utopian omelette.)
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To: rlmorel

hijack away! doesn’t bother me.


48 posted on 11/19/2017 3:37:48 AM PST by beebuster2000
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To: TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig

It is good to hear form an eye witness.

I suppose most of the misinformation came form the other political party. McCain had lost as many as 5 planes which was uncommon and his father was an Admiral so I suppose there were lots of hard feelings form many.

Common sense and truth are becoming and uncommon commodity nowadays.


49 posted on 11/19/2017 6:46:08 AM PST by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: rlmorel
Yep. I have it. I also have Hornfischer's Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. Both of his works are among the best I have ever read.
50 posted on 11/20/2017 8:18:16 AM PST by 60Gunner (The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. - Plato)
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To: 60Gunner

Yes...great book, I have read that one as well.

If I had my wish, I would love to see someone make a great movie about the naval battles that took place around the Philippines at that time. I think those are some of the most dramatic ever occurring.

Bravery, stupidity, ignorance, faith, fate, mistakes, technology, all rolled into one series of battles.


51 posted on 11/20/2017 9:26:55 AM PST by rlmorel (Liberals: American Liberty is the egg that requires breaking to make their Utopian omelette.)
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