When all of a sudden(MY OPINION/probably had something to do with and electrical "surge" or maybe the safety pin was not in the proper position)a Zuni 5 Inch Rocket(See the Flight Deck spot Drawing(with chronology) from F-4B Aircraft Number 110 fired and went across the Flight Deck Striking and Detonating A-4E Number 405(LCDR White) and the resultant fire and explosion occurred under and on LCDR John S. McCain's A-4E number 416.
The Bombs the were placed on both A-4E's were VERY Old and were not up the even mid-1960's safety standards, they were of possibly early 1950s or maybe even 1940s "standards" and nonetheless had been sitting in storage at Naval Magazine Facility Subic Bay/Cubi Point Republic of the Philippines and has deteriorated over the years due to Heat/Humidity and just plain time.
The Bombs that were "issued" to the Forrestal were in particularity bad shape(they were "rusted" and had some of the explosive substance leaking out of them(making them EXTERMLY unstable and VERY EXPLOSVIVE)(also these bomb were of a "thin-skin" variety making them VERY susceptible to "Cook-Off").
NO ONE, not the Ship's CO, The Carrier Air Wing Ordinance Officer(CAG Gunner), The Squadron CO's, Air Crews, Flight Deck Crews, Ordinance People NO ONE wanted to use these bombs(The Ship's CO tried to send them back but the Ammunition Ship wouldn't take them back(there were NO other bombs "in theatre" available to ANY of the carriers at that time to accomplish missions.
So these substandard bombs were issued to the squadrons and loaded on the bombers(A-4Es).
Any way when the Zuni hit LCDR White's(he later died of this) A-4 it caused an fuel deluge and it "Cooked-Off" the bomb(substandard one) and spread to LCDR McCain's A-4E(I don't where all of this "Wet-Start" SH!T came from)(McCain also had one of these substandard bombs(yes it a little later "Cooked-Off" as well).
McCain saw all of this and get out of his A-4E and "crawled" onto the Aircraft's "Refueling Rod(these are about maybe 10 or 12 feet on of the Deck)" and dropped Clear of the developing carnage.
Once all of this had occurred the die was cast and the Forrestal was in DEEP TROUBLE!
I will answer any questions that any of you have to the best on my ability(it is the least I can/could to for the memory of these BRAVE Men)!
< p > is my eye's friend
Thank you for the editing.
LCDR White made it out of his aircraft but died in the blast from the bomb that was released, as did McCains deck crew. McCain has consistently claimed it was his aircraft that was it by the Zuni and that this triggered the bomb release ( actually McCain claims his aircraft released 2 bombs but it was one bomb) .... The accident investigation said that the bomb ( which killed many and blew 11 aircraft overboard) was released from White’s aircraft .... So why is this so important? The differences in McCain’s account vs the accident report details as have been released?
Well it seems A-4 pilots and ordnance personnel believe(d) that if McCain plane was not hit by the Zuni, the only way a bomb would release would be if the pilot, in his panic to scramble out of the cockpit, hit the 2 switches necessary to trigger the release. So it is important to McCain’s narrative that his aircraft was hit by the missile and resulted in dropped ordnance ( which he always claimed) but it was important in the Navy accident report to state that the bomb was released by White’s aircraft ..... to dispel the beliefs ( right or wrong) that McCain screwed up while exitng his aircraft - which assuredly would have ended his career
What is indisputable is that McCain visited the medical bay where he saw ( but claimd to not recognize) his deck chief dying and left without treatment ( eyewitness) and McCain never claimed any injury. However he did get in a helicopter the day after he accident and headed to Saigon with. NYT reporter who had come to the Forrestal to interview the Admiral’s son. The carrier was stll burning and the dead still missing when McCain skipped the memorial servuce to head to Saigon for some “ much welcome R&r” ( his words) ... Is it possible he was the only officer to to leave the ship within 24 hours except the medivac’d?
My other question would be, what Navy Officer who is lucky enough to walk out of a conflagration partially triggered albeit accidentally by his own aircraft, leaves a burning ship and skips the memorial service for his squadron mates, his deck crew and the rest of the ship’s company?
“Zuni 5 Inch Rocket(See the Flight Deck spot Drawing(with chronology) from F-4B Aircraft Number 110 fired and went across the Flight Deck Striking and Detonating A-4E Number 405”...
knarf, thanks for your service. I’ve a Forrestal class centurion, also served as a carrier safety officer, also a flight deck shooter.
I wasn’t there... many have doubts (of course nothing personal).
My problem... why is the TRIAL BY FIRE training video about the Forrest Fire complete with great video.... except for the actual ZUNI shot?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6NnfRT_OZA
Everyone go to 3:10 and watch until about 3:45.
At 3:22, the training tape narrator says, “There it is...Zuni shot...”
But the problem is that there is a 1/2 second staged carrier flight deck shot of a VX-9 orange painted China Lake weapons test F-4. The narrator acts like it is the original shot by emotionally saying “there it is!”
I had to watch it 20 times to figure out what’s going on. There’s no airplane in front of the test fire. It’s the only plane in the frame. It’s 1/2 second of footage, and it’s staged and fake. No yellow shirts, brown shirts, nobody on deck.
At the same time, on the other side of the world, the USS Liberty incident was happening in Israel, and his dad had to cover for that.
Check out the film, it does’t prove anything. It’s just kind of crap that the TRIAL BY FIRE video has a fake element.
again, thanks for your service.