July 28, 2017

How the 1967 Fire on USS Forrestal Improved Future U.S. Navy Damage Control Readiness

Editor's note: While on active duty, Commander Stewart wrote his U.S. Army Command and General Staff College master's thesis on "The Impact of The USS Forrestal's 1967 Fire on United States Navy Shipboard Damage Control." The thesis examined the impact of the 1967 flight deck fire on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA 59) and the two resulting

July 29, 2015

USS Forrestal - Trial by Fire

On Saturday July 29, 1967, in the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Forrestal (CVA 59) is preparing for a strike against targets in North Vietnam when a missile is accidentally fired across the flight deck, hitting an A-4 Skyhawk that is fully loaded with fuel and ordinance. Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Gerald Farrier grabs a fire extinguisher and rushes