Great post!
I didn’t know they had discontinued basic damage control training for all sailors, and only instituted it after the Forrestal fire...that certainly seems penny-wise and pound-foolish!
The damage control training I got in boot camp certainly left an impression on me. I recall one of the things they did (to impress upon us the necessity of making sure men were manned and holding the hose before turning on the water) was to take a fire hose, and with nobody holding it, turned it on. Watching that big brass nozzle fly around smashing on the ground and whipping through the air, well...even for young men whose minds were on getting liberty and chasing tail, that vision found its way in, and I doubt any of us could not imagine what that would do to you or your shipmates if it did that in a narrow passageway!
In the years since then, that remains one of my most vivid memories of Boot Camp, watching that uncommanded fire hose whip around in that bright sunshine.
I did a 6 year Navy tour and finished it on an aircraft carrier. This was before women were allowed in combat positions. I have to wonder if there just wasn't enough "manpower" around to put out the initial fire when it could have been contained. Dragging firefighting equipment through knee knockers requires muscle and determination...