Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Another Iconic Ship Bids Farewell


The Decommissioned (CV-59) USS Forrestal, another iconic ship from our youth embarks on one last final voyage to the scrapyard. First commissioned in 1955, "The FID" as she was known saw action during the Vietnam War and is best known for an incident where a Zuni missile accidentally fired from a parked F-4 Phantom into a line of fueling A-4 Skyhawks. Among the pilots of those Skyhawks was John McCain. The blast and resulting fire killed 134 of her crew, injuring another 161, destroying 21 aircraft and costing the Navy US$72 million. She would see service until her decommissioning in 1993. The former multipurpose carrier will be towed from her berth in Philadelphia to Brownsville Texas for her final dismantling.
So long!

To learn more of the 1967 tragedy, watch the video below:

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