[abb]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Forrestal_%28CV-59%29

[abb]

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

[Bryanw92]

I toured the Forrestal in Mayport when I was in high school in the 1970s. After spending a day on a carrier, I became a submariner when I joined the Navy. :-)

Both my submarines got cut up for scrap more than a decade ago (except for the reactor compartments which are buried in Washington).

[nascarnation]

[abb]

Of interest to our group.

[Kartographer]

A goos documentry on the Forrestal fire.

The USS Forrestal Fighter Aircraft Fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvmtsqUsi4o

[Ann Archy]

McCains claim to fame!!!

[babygene]

My older brother was on the Forrestal when it exploded. I remember it well,although he doesn’t talk much about it...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Many of our allies could use a first or another carrier, yet we keep scrapping these. Why?

[YHAOS]

Fair Winds And Following Seas, USS Forrestal

[3D-JOY]

Today I feel old.

I remember well when this ship first went to sea...It was on every newsreel and yes, in black and white on TV!

[Red_Devil 232]

The Forrestal has been one of my favorites since I was a young boy and put together a plastic model of it. Toured the Ranger CV-61 when it was in Pearl Harbor.

[DoughtyOne]

You know folks, I may take a real beating for this, but here goes anyway.

I realize that these old carriers are nowhere near the value our current carriers are. I still wonder if at some point, if a grand attack were made and we lost a number of carriers, if it might not be a good idea to have these older ones around that could be refitted and put pack into service faster than ones built from scratch could be.

Just sayin...

[Ditto]

The first 'big' Revell model ship I assembled as a kid back in the late 50s.

Many many hours of fun putting her together. She was a beauty.

I did not know she was still afloat. Like my model, I assumed she went to the breakers yeas ago.

[diogenes ghost]

In the early '90s the Assoc of Naval Aviation held their annual meeting at Mayport. Part of festivities was a day cruise with flight ops. Our ARTCC had a home-grown magazine, and I was sent on a photo shoot. Took my wife along, and she and about 400 others watched flight ops from bleachers set up between the island and the angle deck. I was shooting from the port catwalk, I later found out that normally NOBODY can be there during ops - dangerous as hell.

Well, it was exciting as hell, I was about 40 feet from F-14s shooting off the cats, and could reach out and slap the wheels as they taxiied away from the trap wires. Only drawback was I stunk like kerosene for a week.

The skill and trust shown in allowing visitors on deck during ops was incredible, I still do not know how or why they justified it. But it sure as hell was fun.

[oldsalt]

The Forrestal was my first at sea experience in the Navy. I served aboard her with VAH-5 in 1959-60 and again with RVAH-7 in 1974-75.

We flew A3D's with VAH-5 and RA5C's with RVAH-7. My first carrier landing was on Forrestal,coming aboard in the ship's C-1.

I made two Mediterranean deployments aboard Forrestal. I served on board six other carriers but CV-59 remains one of my favorites...happy youthful memories and she was a good feeder!

[Redcitizen]

I know nothing about carriers. Need a knowledgeable answer:

Could it be totally gutted down to the hull and remade to a helicopter carrier or combat support vessel?

Or is the steel body used up as in metal fatigue?

[paddles]

I have a few traps on the FID in my logbook. Sorry to see her go to scrap. I guess we’ll all be shaving with her in s few years....

[logi_cal869]

What, no Brownsville Casino?

[Doc Savage]

Forrestal was murdered by the US government.