The Fire

I joined the Navy is 1981, fifteen years after the USS Forrestal fire. The emphasis on firefighting was intense and was constantly reinforced with the films and lectures about what had happened that dark day. We were drilled and taught how many errors had been made, how complacency had contributed to the fire and how a lack of proper training had made things even worse. 

Later in my career I would attend Submarine Damage Control school, which was eye opening and made me realize how far we still had to go to make sure that this sort of thing never happened again.

On July 29, 1967, the USS Forrestal, an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, experienced a devastating and tragic incident known as the “1967 USS Forrestal fire.”

The USS Forrestal was on a combat mission in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. While preparing for a bombing mission, a series of unfortunate events resulted in a catastrophic fire and explosions on the flight deck.

The incident began when an electrical anomaly caused a rocket to accidentally fire from an F-4 Phantom II fighter jet parked on the flight deck. The rocket struck an external fuel tank of another aircraft, rupturing it and causing a massive fuel leak. As a result, a large fire broke out on the flight deck.

The fire rapidly spread and ignited bombs, rockets, and fuel on other aircraft parked nearby. The chain reaction of explosions and fires engulfed the flight deck, causing extensive damage to the carrier.

The crew on board the USS Forrestal worked tirelessly to contain the fire and prevent further explosions, but the scale of the disaster was overwhelming. The fire was not fully extinguished until almost 24 hours later.

The 1967 USS Forrestal fire resulted in the deaths of 134 sailors and injured 161 others. It was the deadliest single incident involving a U.S. Navy ship since World War II.

The USS Forrestal underwent extensive repairs and returned to active duty in March 1968 after several months of repairs and refurbishment. The incident prompted significant changes in aircraft carrier safety procedures and training, leading to improvements in firefighting capabilities and damage control measures on naval vessels.

The USS Forrestal remained in service until 1993, after which it was decommissioned and eventually scrapped. Despite its tragic history, the USS Forrestal and the brave efforts of its crew during the 1967 fire remain an important part of U.S. naval history.