USS FORRESTAL nearly destroyed by Faulty Rocket

[TheDigger]

The Aircraft Carrier USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59) was nearly lost after a wayward missle launched and started a huge fire that nearly ended its days as a fighting vessel

At 10 A.M. on July 29, 1967 the carrier was on her first combat patrol of the war and preparing to launch her daily fighter strike on North Vietnam. Hundreds of the 4,300 man crew were moving about the four acre flight deck readying the planes. Suddenly, due to an electrical short, a rocket was fired from beneath a fighter's wing. It flew across the flight deck and struck the auxiliary gas tank of a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk as it was piloting up for takeoff.

The Skyhawk was piloted by John McCain (who became a POW a month later, a Senator from Arizona and a Presidential Candidate in 2000 and now in 2007). The aviation fuel ignited and, within a few minutes caused the explosion of many 1,000 pound bombs, Zuni rockets and other ammunition. Fire fighting crews who began to fight the fuel fire disappeared in the blasts of bombs and rockets. Water hoses were holed by shrapnel. Whole firefighting crews were mowed down.

John McCain escaped just prior to the first bomb explosion by climbing onto the fueling probe on the nose of his plane and dropping to the flaming deck. Another pilot next to him ejected. Still another was never seen again. Crew members showed great bravery in unhooking the bombs from planes and unscrewing their fuses. Sailors carried 250 pound bombs and threw them over the side.

Four large craters were blown into the flight deck. 25 planes burned, more than what the North Vietnamese gunners brought down in an average month. Sister ships steamed to the Forrestal's aid. Carriers ORISKANY and BON HOMME RICHARD dispatched helicopters with doctors to remove casualties while destroyers HENRY W. TUCKER and RUPERTUS poured tons of water onto the carriers' flaming deck. Many sailors, driven to the edge of the flight deck and, rather than burn to death, hurtled themselves into the sea. These sailors accounted for many of the 134 fatalities

[The Sailor]

Good post Digger. This is very informative. I don't know about anyone else, but I had never heard of this ever.
Well presented.

[TheDigger]

Well they say an inch is a good as a mile, if the missle missed the fuel tank on the Skyhawk basically it would have gone down as one of those close things but when luck is against you all sorts of things go wrong and in this case very wrong

[AlZictorini]

As part of the RN Basic Sea Survival course you get to see a mini documentary on the above event, it is for want of a better word "Horrific", then you go to do your fire fighting training. The RAF have there own Air Force film, its called "How To Stage A Disaster". Its 20mins long and is a graphical explanation of the Disaster at Bien Hoa Air Base in 1965. An example of what will happen when you point live armed aircraft at a fuel dump!!

[Patwalker37srpen]

I remember this incident well. We were Marines stationed on I think Bulwark at the time going up to exercises off HongKong and to impress on us how important it was to avoid fire at sea this film was showed to the whole company.
It was the actual film shot in real time from a camera positioned alongside the Island and looking down at the Flight Deck on the Forrestal. It started with normal flying stations and you could see the first explosion and burning fuel dripping onto the deck and then from lower left of the camera you saw the flight deck fire party running across pulling a trailer full of foam, hoses and other apparatus. While they are getting sorted a massive explosion `flares the camera` and they are suddenly vaporised from a bomb cooking off. More men can be seen running in to help but the basic equipment has been blown away and further large explosions occur as the fire spreads to adjacent aircraft and works its way along the line of parked aircraft.
In desperation men can be seen throwing ordnance over the side and pushing aircraft out of the way. All the while things are exploding and further destroying aircraft awaiting take off. There was one massive exlosion from bombs cooking off which blew a sizeable hole down through the flight deck and buckled all the plates over a wide area. Sadly this was above one of the mess decks and many men were killed below deck from this.
They eventually got the fires under control but the film was a pretty grim reminder of what can start as a small accident and almost end in total disaster. I believe they towed her away and she went back to the states for major repairs. She was certainly not destroyed by this though very badly damaged.

[herakles]

What a dramatic account Patwalker37srpen.

A remarkable training film you were showed! There's nothing like the real thing.

[The Sailor]

Welcome to the forum Pat Walker. Thanks for your first hand account of what happened.
Graeme

[mike d]

The Forrestal disaster film was used as a teaching tool in the Canadian navy also. In fact, I first learned of this accident while attending damage control school at Collwood,which is part of C.F.B. Esquimalt on Canada's west coast.The film showed to us seemed to go in to more detail than the various documentaries on the subject which have aired on the History Channel.(although some of the same footage was used)
The deaths of the first fire-fighting crews to respond,caused by the detonation of WW2 era iron bombs, was hammered home repeatedly!!
In our training situations,if one or more of us used improper procedure,the instructors would step up and say something like "you and you are dead!"
Then the next men on the hose would have to take over.
The facilities then (mid 80's) were rather primitive compared to those used by various Navies today,but they drove the point home!!

[bd popeye]

In desperation men can be seen throwing ordnance over the side and pushing aircraft out of the way. All the while things are exploding and further destroying aircraft awaiting take off. There was one massive exlosion from bombs cooking off which blew a sizeable hole down through the flight deck and buckled all the plates over a wide area. Sadly this was above one of the mess decks and many men were killed below deck from this.


Before I comment I must say I served on five USN Cvs in my 20 year career...

First off it was not desperation jettisoning ordance and aircraft. That is normal operating proceedure. All USN CVs have bomb jettison ramps in case such a disaster would ever strike.

What the USN call the Mess deck is below the hangar deck on a Forrestal class. I think you mean "berthing compartment". There are many berthing compartments & officer state rooms directly under the flight deck on USN Cvs.. Many of those killed were sleeping at the time because they were off duty.(they worked the night shift) USN CVs operate "around the clock"

I saw the move about the carrier fires many, many times in my USN career. We saw it in recruit training. What a wake up call. It got my attention.

[designeraccd]

The fact that Forrestal survived was a testament to her design and the superb crew that saved her. I later worked with one of her crewmen of that day and from what he related it was much worse than even the pictures show. Kinda glad I was just a young Marine ducking rockets and mortar rounds (etc) in the DaNang area at the time! DFO :eek:

[bd popeye]

More photos of the Forrestal fire. Some are not of the best quality.

[Patwalker37srpen]

Dear `Popeye`,
Thank you for correcting my post. You have to remember I only saw the film once and that was 41 yrs ago so things do get a bit hazy . I notice a documentary has recently been on again on Discovery channel and I managed to see this to refresh my memory after all those years.(after my post mind you ) I do recall there was more footage shown to us than on the TV recently which included clips of the fire fighting crew pulling an equipment trolley across the deck and seeing them blown away. This certainly agravated the ability of those left to fight the fire immediately.
However if you have seen the film then you will understand my use of the word `desperation` in respect of the men on the flight deck trying to get rid of the spare ordnance.
Since this was such a major incident I dont suppose the rule books completely covered all the scenarios.
What has to be said is the surviving crew did a magnificent job in saving the ship from sinking and there were many acts of true heroism.
Pat

[ChalkyWhite]

Hello Pat,

Terrific story for which those of us who served on aircraft carriers have a special interest I suspect.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to recall reading somewhere that Senator John McCain the Presidential candidate who was a naval flyer was sitting in one of the aircraft getting ready for launch at the time. Anyone out there confirm that or not?
Of course he was later shot down and spent some years as a POW in VIetnam.

Chalky White.

[tonclass]

You can see the whole documentary about Forrestal on YOUTUBE. Turns out that the rocket wasn't faulty, but the electrical system when the pilot switched from generator power to on-board power. An electrical surge throughout the Phantom aircraft force-fired the rocket across the stern of the ship straight into the skyhawks external fuel tank. All the trained fire-fighters were killed when one of the old bombs detonated and the subsequent hosing of the fire with water, by the remaining untrained crew spread the fire rather than put it out.
A really sad story.

[designeraccd]

Senator McCain was IN the plane HIT by the errant rocket, and barely escaped with his life. Despite burns and injuries he chose to redeploy on the CV where a few months later, on an attack flight over Communist North Viet Nam, he was shot down. Of course, then he began his oh so "luxurious" stay at the infamous Hanoi Hilton for over 5 years.

His actions speak volumes about the man's character, integrity and sense of honor, which many of his, IMO, less than honorable political opponents continue to attack. DFO :(

[oifvet23]

i was an ordanancemen on the carrier truman, we call that stray voltage and we now test the aircraft prior to loading before every flight since that accident. One more things is the cook off of the bombs. All carrier MK weapons are now thermally protected to give fire fighters more time to put out fire.

every Marine a Rifleman every Sailor a fireman

[John O'Callaghan]

Hi All. I've just found this thread.I was in HMAS Hobart when we were part of Forrestals screen for a few days just prior to the fire.Hobart had been detached and was on a Seadragon fire mission inshore with USS Chandler.Both ships were called back to the screen when the fire broke out.We flew off our Doctor and most of our fire fighting equipment(pumps,hoses,foam, breathing apparatus etc).The fire was an incredible sight Chandler,Rupertus Tucker and Hobart stood by Forrestal for the day and most of the night until she got the fire under control.Hobart and Chandler were then sent back to the Gunline.Forrestal was sent to Subic Bay for a patch up and then to the US for repairs which took about 3years I believe.
I have a thread on the Aussie navy in Vietnam in the RAN thread.
Cheers John O'C.

[CGRET]

Here is the Forrestal web-site that gives information and video's for that event.

http://www.forrestal.org/fidfacts/page13.htm

Well worth the look.

Regards
Charles

[CGRET]

The USS Forestal fate has been decided!

http://www.vfp62.com/Forrestal_Info.html

A sad event to take place sometime in the future.

Regards
Charles

[Pat in Halifax]

The "Training' film utilizing the lessons learned from Forrestal's fire is aptly titled "Trial by Fire". Even with a modern Naval Fire Fighting mockup on each coast, the Canadian Navy continues to show Trial by Fire for everyone's Fire Fighting refresher courses. Whenever a trainee would screw up during training, we would use the byline "Remember the Chief with the purple K". This was a well meaning Chief who attacked an aircraft fire with a dry chem just before it exploded taking his life (and I imagine) several others. My brother-in-law was serving on both Forrestal and Saratoga during the time frame and recalled the story to me once but got terribly upset..understandably.
I just finished reading the the newest book about Intrepid and ironically, the author spent quite an amount of time discussing the fire on Forrestal and the subsequent changes to Carrier operations and compartment designations.
It is sad to see any ship go to the torch cutters but we can't save them all as much as we would like to.

[Blaydon]

I, as a trainee weapons tradesman, remember watching "How to stage a disaster" with horror it was shown during the very dry lessons on explosives regulations to illustrate why they exist for the safety of yourself and others.

It was a very pointed reminder of the inherent danger and the need for vigilance and compliance.