We Will Not Forget
I cannot let this week pass without remembering the brave and heroic men of Forrestal (CVA-59).
http://cakebysadiesmith.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/kona-instagram-feed-for-gutenberg/defaul1.php Fifty years ago, on 29 July 1967, a stray electrical signal set in motion a conflagration that killed 134 men, significantly wounded at least another 161, and imprinted mental scars on thousands of others. It was the worst single naval casualty event of the Vietnam war.
Here is a link to the Navy’s Chief of Information web page about the fire. It was originally written for Naval Aviation News in October 1967 shortly after the fire, thus it is lacking in much of the personal detail which has emerged over the past half-century. But it is a good backgrounder and reminder of basic details. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=73
But for the latest, check out this link http://www.uss-forrestal.com/news/119/50th-USS-FORRESTAL-FIRE-MEMORIAL-CEREMONY-and-2017-REUNION at the Forrestal Association’s website for this weekend’s events.
The Naval History and Heritage Command, which has the responsibility for collecting, preserving, and sharing the many historic artifacts of Navy history has preserved an important piece of Forrestal. https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2015/july-2015/national-naval-aviation-museum-ensures-uss-forrestal-trial-by-fi.html
More to come…
