Posted on 07/29/2020 4:05:47 AM PDT by Bull Snipe
1967 - On the flight deck of USS Forrestal (CVA 59), a Zuni 5 rocket accidentally fires from a (F 4B) Phantom II aircraft into a parked and armed (A 4E) Skyhawk, setting off a series of explosions that kill 134 of her crew and injure 161 crewmembers.
This will be an interesting thread for those who haven’t read about McCain’s place in the incident before.
There are many informed and passionate Freepers who hate McCain, but there is a little more to the story than “Something bad happened, McCain was there, McCain wrecks things wherever he goes” and I found the discussion on similar threads fascinating.
At least the first three or four time.
Anyone who comes into the thread and makes the claim that McCain caused the conflagration is simply displaying their stupidity. Just watch. It won’t take long. Idiots.
It makes me angry. Instead of focusing on the men who fought bravely, lost their lives, and why it occurred which is a real shame, they focus on a scumbag like McCain.
I dislike him as much as anyone, served under him at one point, and served in his squadron he was in when it happened, so I at least have a connection to this and didn’t learn about it on the Internet.
Great personal page you have on FR shipmate.
Fair winds and following seas.
No Name’s legacy.
Airdalechief! Yes, and same to you, FRiend!
Heh, I had some great Chiefs...Chief “Muddy” Waters (So named because he always had a chaw going...he was the one who gave everyone in the Line Division nicknames) was one of my favorites.
We had another one who said “When I retire, I am going to get myself a dog, and I’m going to name it “Chief”, so I can kick it every morning and say “Good Morning, Chief!”
Hahahahah...so many personalities!
Member of our American Legion Post was down below. He heard his shipmates pounding on a bulkhead to open it and his supervisor said if he did he would kill him.
I was never in the Navy but the emblem for a CPO is a fouled anchor. If you look at the film you see a sailor grab a fire extinguisher and head toward the fire. A moment later he becomes a red mist. Screw McCain. What’s important is the heroism of those dead and wounded sailors.
Very nice page, and glad you showed up for the third post.
My (maternal) grandfather was a chief, but on tin cans. He got out in ‘60. Dad was in ‘67-71, but on an LST. I was born at Oak Knoll, but left Navy confines shortly thereafter.
Grandfather had five brother who also were navy in WWII. One on the Lexington—I think he was the only one on a flat top.
Thank you, glad you liked my Freep Page. There were a lot of men on those ships in WWII, and a lot of them took advantage of the GI Bill to better themselves. I’m a big believer (and beneficiary) of that.
I am a big believer in a volunteer force, and I always appreciated people who have a connection to the military in their families, because that heritage of service is a common experience that can tie people together, and I think we are missing a degree of that today.
I try to ensure that when I encounter someone who has served, they hear words of gratitude. I lived through the generation that treated our Vietnam Veterans poorly, and I vowed that in my sphere of influence, however small that is, I would never let that happen again in my lifetime. I was silent when that was going on.
Never again. Never.
To me, one of the most interesting aspects that came out of the Forrestal fire was a specific redesign of all carriers, retrofitting them and building it into new ones.
On carriers of the day, the Liquid Oxygen generator was kept in an isolated compartment, but they realized that if the fire had reached the unit (and it almost did that day) it could have detonated the device with possibly catastrophic ramifications.
They changed it so that the entire unit could be pushed out through the hull and over the side of the ship if it were seriously threatened with fire.
For me, I never even gave a thought but if I am not mistaken, that unit on my ship was a few decks directly below my berthing compartmen (port side near the stern)
Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.