Here was the deck configuration when the incident occurred:
The incident began when, due to an electrical malfunction when the plane switched to internal electric power, #110 fired a Zuni air-to-air missile across the deck, striking #405, piercing a fuel tank and starting a fire. The Zuni's warhead did not detonate, the pilot not yet having armed it. McCain scrambled out of #416, crawled forward along his refueling boom, and dropped to the deck, escaping the rapidly growing fire. The pilot of #405 was not so lucky.
Note that McCain's exhaust was pointed out over the water. Therefore, all tales of the disaster having been caused by McCain wet-starting his engine are fake news.
It did not help that the Forrestal's bombs were WW2-vintage and had deteriorated, making them prone to cook off earlier than would have been the case for fresh ordnance.
You can view an 85-minute documentary on the disaster here.
I watched the NAVAIR version at NAS Jax when I was a “Yout”.
It was film about firefighting on board an AC Carrier.
McCain wasnt shit back then and never mentioned
It did not help that the Forestalls bombs were WW2-vintage and had deteriorated, making them prone to cook off earlier than would have been the case for fresh ordnance.
Compliments of Robert S McNamara who, in his micromanaging and arrogant way, insisted on increasing the number of 1000lb bombs to be used in the mix of ordnance. Unfortunately earlier Robert Strange ‘efficiencies’ had reduced the Navy ordnance purchase so the only rapidly available stock of 1000lb bombs were at a USN ordnance facility in the Philippines, where they had been stored in a simple bunker for storage for possibly as much as a decade or more. Ordnancemen on carriers remarked on the rusty, dirty, deteriorated condition of these bombs and were told to shut up and use them.