Posted on 10/23/2013 1:04:43 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
Here’s a penny for your thoughts: One red cent could’ve landed you the Navy’s first supercarrier, the decommissioned Forrestal.
The U.S. Navy sold the 1,067-foot behemoth to a Texas company, All Star Metals, to be dismantled, scrapped and recycled, Navy officials announced. It's an inauspicious fate for a ship with a colorful — and tragic — history. It's perhaps best known for a 1967 incident in which stray voltage triggered an accidental explosion that struck a plane on the flight deck whose cockpit was occupied by a young John McCain. A chain reaction of blasts and fires ultimately killed 134 men and injured more than 300.
But its rich past and nearly four decades of service are not enough to spare it. The Navy tried to donate the historic ship for use as a memorial or a museum, but no “viable applications” were received.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
A good friend of mine lost her brother in that 1967 incident on the Forrestal, John Lilla. The local American Legion is named for him...the Manning Lilla Post in Ovid, NY. I didn’t know that many men were killed....what a tragedy.
Strip all the most valuable metals off it, brass, copper, and such, then turn it into an artificial reef.
Here’s my friend’s brother who died on the Forrestal, June 29,1967.
http://www.virtualwall.org/dl/LillaJT01a.htm
That’s expensive too as fuel and hydraulic lines need to be either flushed or removed, all tanks cleaned, doors removed and on and on.
And then there is the actual sinking.
If I remember the show on Military Channel correctly the suspected cause was one of the “Puffer” (start carts) was parked too close to the ordinance on the next plane and the heat from the exhaust cooked of the first round and then All H&!! broke loose.
No matter what the origin was the results are the same.
Maybe mc lame remembers /s
Correction...JULY 29, 1967.
i served aboard her..
we called her the USS Zippo....
and yes the sailors did call her the forestfire..
it is clear to me that YOU never served aboard her..
I did four cruises and her nickname was the FID.
Look at the air wing in that pic. In many ways it is far superior to what we have on the decks of the carriers today. Today we have no carrier-based ASW capability, like the S-3. The A-6E was superior to the F/A-18 in all weather attack in terms of range and payload. The A-7 was superior to the F/A-18 in range and payload too. And of course the F-14 could fly circles around the F/A-18. And we had more aircraft on board back then to boot.
I am hopeful that one of the CVs in mothballs will become a museum ship. They are so historically important. They played a key role in “winning the peace” during the Cold War, there should be at least one preserved as a monument to that era. The Forrestal was commissioned in 1955 and served the entire Cold War.
“. . . it was nicknamed the Forestfire.”
“Only by idiots like you who never serve aboard her.”
Not true. Was stationed in Mayport 78-80. It was known by all hands as the Forest Fire.
well i did the 89 med cruise on her and while her “official” nickname was FID (first in defense)we did regularly call her the zippo or forestfire
Bull. The only time that derogatory term was heard was on the beach by those who NEVER SERVED ABOARD HER.
There was little mention of the FID’s truly revolutionary design, outside of air-conditioning, and zero mention of her valiant wartime cruise accomplishments, combat sorties, or the number of brave men killed over Vietnam.
No, rather than summarize her brave record, the author takes the easy way out. He harps on the time worn one liner, a flight deck mishap that gets endlessly repeated, and one pilot who ended up a despised politician.
I don’t know what your problem is scooter but you need to chill-lax a bit. I did not serve on her but did serve on destroyers in Norfolk and Mayport. Now, like it or not one of her nicknames was FORESTFIRE. I first heard it in Diego in boot during fire fighting class when we watched the famous Forrestal film about what NOT to do. (wash the foam away with water)
Now you may not like the particular nickname FORESTFIRE but it was used, it is known and it stuck. No one here is lying about anything. We certainly know where your goat is tied though don’t we?
Thanks for making my point.
No prob Sailor.
unfriggin believable!!!
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.