[US Navy Vet]

Ok on the day that this tragic event occurred the Forrestal was conducting Pretty "Routine" Flight Operations in support of Operations off of the coast of N. Viet Nam(Yankee Station). 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)!

[US Navy Vet]

There were paragraphs when I posed it.

[henkster]

I am only vaguely familiar with this incident. What did McCain do after he got away from his A-4?

[knarf]

Ok on the day that this tragic event occurred the Forrestal was conducting Pretty "Routine" Flight Operations in support of Operations off of the coast of N. Viet Nam(Yankee Station).

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

[ken5050]

Here's the

link

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Was this the second or third plane he lost?

[Riley]

Thank you for posting this. I was Marine Corps and not Navy, the only flight deck I was ever on was on an LPD, so the perspective is appreciated. :-)

[rednesss]

McAmnesty is still a sellout now and whatever he was in the past, he’s a piece of shit now.

[SubMareener]

Thanks for posting this. It clears a lot of the smoke. I was an EM3 on USS Columbus (CG-12) when Forrestal was in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for repairs. She seemed to have a fire, or a drill every week or so. Her nickname on Columbus was “Firestall”.

Later, in 1973, I was an LTJG on USS TREPANG (SSN674) in the Med. I went home on leave the day the October War started. When I got back to Naples, TREPANG had left without me, so I got to write the “Patrol Report” for SUBFLOT 8. They sent me out to Independence for a week as “submarine liaison officer”. WOW, Carriers are dangerous places! I was never so happy to be back on my nice safe nuclear submarine!

[thackney]

Another source with details

From: Naval Aviation News, October 1967
compiled and edited by Senior Chief Journalist John D. Burlage
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=73

[WilliamofCarmichael]

I hope you do not mind my adding HTML code. I've long wondered about the circumstances and vaguely recall that McCaon was not to blame. Though one national talk show hosts has insisted that it was McCain' fault. Doesn't look like to me.

Ok on the day that this tragic event occurred

• the Forrestal was conducting Pretty "Routine" Flight Operations in support of Operations off of the coast of N. Viet Nam(Yankee Station);
• 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 [that] 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
  • [had] 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!

[TigersEye]

USS Forrestal Aircraft Carrier Disaster 46 minute documentary

John McCain escapes Forrestal explosion 1:17 Raw film of the Forrestal fire.

Diagram of planes on Forrestal deck.

NS025929.– This diagram was taken from a drawing provided by USS Forrestal and shows the location of CVW-17 aircraft spotted for launch moments before the fire broke out. From "Naval Aviation News," October 1967 issue.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Watch the video. Flames coming out from under two planes starting with McCain’s. (wet start). Ball of flames came first then missile took off.

[dadfly]

thanks for the post. mccain is a menace to our nation, but some of the accounts “flying around” here were pegging my bs meter.

and btw good move avoiding wiki.

[Larry Lucido]

Bumping the thread.

[dunblak]

This is a completely accurate account of the fire on the Forrestal...I was the Public Affairs Officer for RAdm Harvey Lanham and was on the Forrestal’s flag bridge for much of the day, as the glass was blown out by shrapnel, as men were vaporized by unstable bombs on deck, and as our shipmates were killed by explosions that reached as deep as seven decks. McCain was a hotdog, just as he is today, but he did not start the fire, nor did he have any responsibility to fight the fire. We had well-trained, fire control parties and he would have been in the way. McCain’s service in the U.S. Senate is much more of a disgrace than his actions on the Forrestal.

[freekitty]

Whatever McCain did in the past is the past. It’s what he is doing now that is important and it isn’t good.

[Proyecto Anonimo]

US Navy Vet, meant to send it to you... thanks for your service too.

[Seruzawa]

I recall getting a load of 81mm mortar rounds in Nam that were dated 1953. Excess Korean War production that probably sat in a warehouse somewhere and got shipped. We loaded it all on a boat and dumped it somewhere in Danang harbor. Our M2 50cals were ancient pieces that wouldn’t hold their headspace and replacement parts were impossible to get. I don’t know the truth of this McCain thing but I do know that the Navy bureaucracy’s conduct towards the men was criminal. We got orders once telling us not to use so much ammo because it was hard to get. And we were docked in Danang not 5 miles from the deep water piers where all the supplies for I Corps came through. Lol