As a modern carrier she was a huge ship, the first carrier designed so that jet planes could launch and land simultaneously. Forrestal, widow of the first secretary of defense, christened her uss forrestal. The uss forrestal cv59 was built during the cold war with 3 sister ships, uss saratoga cv60, uss ranger cv61 and uss independence cv62. Uss forrestal cv 59 mediterranean cruise book 1981 the. Uss forrestal cva59 debris and damage caused by the fire and munition explosions. Ships log, uss forrestal, marchseptember, 1974 addeddate 20120724 17. Forrestal was commissioned 1 october 1955, and remained on the active navy roles until her decommissioning in september 1993. Navy museum cold war gallery the carrier battle group. Her eleventh cruise to the mediterranean began on eleven march 1974 and ended in september of the same year. I remember captain beling coming on the 1mc mentioning the outbreak of war in the middle east.
Uss forrestal departs norfolks pier 12 on june 6, 1967, for her first combat deployment off the coast of north vietnam. On 29 july 1967, a fire broke out on board the aircraft carrier uss forrestal after an electrical anomaly caused a zuni rocket on a f4b phantom to fire, striking an external fuel tank of an a4 skyhawk. The following uss forrestal cruise books can be found on line at. Uss forrestal cv 59 mediterranean cruise book 1981. Uss forrestal precommisioning training in nob norfolk. The flammable jet fuel spilled across the flight deck, ignited, and triggered a chainreaction of explosions that killed 4 sailors and injured 161 at the time, forrestal was engaged in. A huge fire ensued, and mccain barely escaped before a 1,000pound bomb on his plane exploded, causing a chain reaction with other bombs on surrounding planes. From 19771981, i was an assistant professor of management at the university of maine. Uss forrestal cva 59 mediterranean cruise book 1972 1973. Dad served with vp73, vp9, commanding officer of the uss fort marion.
Uss forrestal cva59 mediterranean cruise book 19721973 in collectibles, militaria, vietnam 196175. Most sailors consider the cruise book one of their most valued treasures you would be purchasing the uss forrestal cva 59 cruise book during this time period. Freeman in midsummer 1967, the united states aircraft carrier forrestal, stationed off vietnam, lost 4 men to fires and ensuing explosions after an errant missile from one of its own planes ruptured a fuel tank on a nearby jet. Uss forrestal cv59 1981 mediterranean cruise book deployment log cruisebook. Contributor virginia beach public library language english. Older carriers with wood or jointedsteel decks were fine for propellerdriven fighter planes with low landing speeds and short.
Uss biddle cg34 1981 mediterranean cruise book ebay. Details about uss forrestal cv59 19791980 mediterranean cruise book. Find people you served with from mardet uss forrestal cva 59. Full text of uss forrestal mediterranean cruise 1974. Mediterranean cruise book 197980 mediterranean cruise book 1981. Check out our uss forrestal cv 59 crew list and reconnect with old shipmates. The aircraft carrier uss forrestal was preparing to launch attacks into north vietnam when one of its jets accidentally fired a rocket into an aircraft occupied by pilot john mccain.
Uss forrestal cva 59 1957 cruise book great naval images llc on. Uss forrestal mediterranean cruise 1974, marchseptember by forrestal ship. I served in with vp23 19811984 as an ift crew9, naval weapons test squadron. The forrestal was an aircraft carrier and had been on station for four days. The uss forrestal cva59 fire and munition explosions. Several are marked with asterisks to indicate men who died after 29 july of. Back to last page back to cruise book page back to uss forrestal page.
Here you can download the uss forrestal cva 59 mediterranean cruise book 196970 as a high resolution. The aircraft carrier uss forrestal was decomissioned on 11 september 1993 after 38 years of active service. Uss forrestal was the defending carrier in an amphibious force landing exercise on vieques island, during the. Asbestos was a primary building component of every ship. They include the volumes in the navy department librarys collection, the nations largest cruise book collection. A film i recorded while onboard my ship the uss forrestal cv59 using the latest and greatest vhs camera. For rating shirts click on your rating abbreviation below.
Lieutenant commander va46, cvw17, uss forrestal, tf 77, 7th fleet united states navy phoenix, arizona february 21, 1935 to july 29, 1967 fred d white is on the wall at panel 24e, line 49. Americas first angleddeck carrier built as such was the landmark uss forrestal cva59, named for the original secretary of defense. Marine corps mardet uss forrestal cva59 usmc veteran. Uss forrestal cv 59 service life extension program slep cruise book 198385. Vp9 shipmates summary page vp patrol squadron vpnavy. Forrestal cva 59 naval cruise book, class of 1967, page 156 of 368 has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Sailing around the horn of africa, forrestal stopped briefly at leyte pier in the philippines, before sailing on to yankee station in the gulf of tonkin, arriving on july 25. This cruise book documents her second tour of duty in the mediterranean, from 2 september 1958 to 12 march 1959, where forrestal again combined a program of training, patrol, and participation in major exercises with. Friends of the uss forrestal cv 59, jacksonville, florida.
Forrestal cva59 was laid down on 14 june 1952 at newport news shipbuilding and dry dock company at newport news, virginia. The listing below includes all of the men who died as a result of the 29 july fire. Uss forrestal cv 59 mediterranean cruise book 198990 did you serve aboard uss forrestal cv 59. And if you have a copy of the 7980 cruise book let me know. A fantastic look into naval aviation navair aboard a carrier in the med towards the end of the vietnam war. Uss forrestal cv 59 later cva59, then avt59, was a supercarrier named after the first secretary of defense james forrestal.
Asbestos use was particularly high during the buildup of the united states navy during world war ii. Details about uss forrestal cv59 1981 mediterranean cruise. Uss forrestal cv59 1981 mediterranean cruise book ebay. What is the real story on the fireexplosion on the uss. The super carrier uss forrestal departed norfolk, virginia in june 1967, with a crew of 552 officers and 4,988 enlisted men. Asbestos use was particularly high during the buildup of the united states navy during world war. Uss forrestal cv 59 mediterranean cruise book 198990. I shot this video aboard the uss forrestal, june 1987 during my 2weeks active duty in the u. Bring the cruise book to life with this multimedia presentation. Less than 30 months later, the first of the postwar carriers was launched. Uss forrestal cva59 cruise book hardcover january 1, 1961.
Sectreasurer uss forrestal cvacvavt59 association, the nations first supercarrier first. The deadly fire on the uss forrestal and the heroes who fought it by gregory a. My westpac cruise recollections israeli sixday war breaks out and uss forrestal departs for the western pacific. Ship model high resolution ship model uss forrestal cva 59. The other carriers of her class were uss saratoga, uss ranger and. Details about uss biddle cg34 1981 mediterranean cruise book. Uss forrestal cva 59 mediterranean cruise book 196970.
Persons born in the 1960s and later do not know about the cold war. This dvd contains the actual, uncut 8mm footage that was filmed by a crewman during the 197273 med cruise. Robert m diversity sdsu san diego state university. Navys top retailer when in 1981 he took command of the.
Coronado agf 11 naval cruise book, class of 1986, page 7 of 128 has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Cruise books are yearbookstyle books put together by volunteers on board ship to commemorate a deployment. Asbestos was widely used in the ship building industry from the 1930s until asbestos use was discontinued in the early 1970s. On july 29, 1967, the uss forrestal was on yankee station in the tonkin gulf off of the coast of south viet nam. The item youve selected was not added to your cart.
Uss forrestal mediterranean cruise 1974, marchseptember. Commissioned as attack aircraft carrier cva 59, the forrestal was. Uss forrestal cv 59 mediterranean cruise book 1981 air. Commands aboard the uss forrestal and the uss saratoga. They served aboard on the 6970 cruise and i lost contact with them. I need a picture of someone who was in the 1975 cruisebook. This angleddeck aircraft carrier, the first ship in her class when commissioned in 1955, improved the navys ability to operate highperformance jet aircraft at sea. Named for the first secretary of defense, the carrier served throughout the cold war in all the oceans of the world. Uss forrestal cv 59 service life extension program slep. The uss midway cv41 was able to become a museum because it was first used for prop driven planes.
Eisenhower, carl vinson, theodore roosevelt, abraham lincoln, george washington, john c. Commissioned in 1955, only eight months after ark royal, fid first in defense, it was then the largest ship ever built, some 990 feet in length, as big as the luxury liner ss united states and 150 feet longer than the yamatoclass battleships. Unlike the successor nimitz class, forrestal and her class were conventionally powered. Since the 1967 fire forrestal has operated in the u. This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard uss forrestal. Navy cruise books for various years and ships from 1919 to 2009. Uss forrestal cva cv 59 aircraft carrier us navy secnav. The navy had no data on the time a munition could endure a fuel fire without reacting or on the violence of the explosive reaction that could be expected when it occurred. I finally converted it today after 24 years just sitting there getting older and. Back to uss forrestal cv 59 mediterranean cruise book 1981 page. Mediterranean cruise book 196263 mediterranean cruise book 196465 mediterranean cruise book 196566 vietnam cruise book 1967 forrestal fire mediterranean cruise book 196869 mediterranean cruise book 196970 mediterranean cruise book 1971 mediterranean cruise book 1978 mediterranean cruise book 197980 mediterranean cruise book 1981. Alamo lsd33 1961, 1966, 196768, 1969, 1972, 1974, 197576, 1977, 1980, 1986. Most sailors consider the cruise book one of their most valued treasures you would be purchasing an exact copy of.