Good photos of US aircraft carrier explosion and fire

[flkyflky]

 

[flkyflky]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_USS_Forrestal_fire


1967 USS Forrestal fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
1967 USS Forrestal fire USS Rupertus;025916.jpg
USS Forrestal on fire, the worst US carrier fire since WWII; USS Rupertus (DD-851) maneuvers to within 20 ft (6.1 m) to use fire hoses.
Date 29 July 1967
Time About 10:50 a.m. local time
Location Gulf of Tonkin, 19°9′5″N 107°23′5″E / 19.15139°N 107.38472°E / 19.15139; 107.38472[1]
Casualties
143 dead[2]
161 injured[2]
cost to USN US$72 million[2]

The 1967 USS Forrestal fire was a devastating fire and series of chain-reaction explosions on 29 July 1967 that killed 134 sailors and injured 161 on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CV-59), after an unusual electrical anomaly discharged a Zuni rocket on the flight deck. Forrestal was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War at the time, and the damage exceeded US$72 million (not including damage to aircraft).[2][3]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Background
* 2 Fire
* 3 Aftermath
* 4 Lessons Learned
* 5 Investigation
* 6 Gallery
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 Further reading
* 10 External links

[edit] Background

Forrestal had departed Norfolk in early June. Upon completion of the required inspections for the upcoming WESTPAC Cruise, she then went on to Brazil for a show of force. She then set sail around the horn of Africa, and went on to dock for a short while at Leyte Pier at N.A.S. Cubi Point in the Philippine Islands before sailing to "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin. For four days in the gulf, aircraft of Attack Carrier Air Wing 17 flew about 150 missions against targets in North Vietnam. Because of a shortage of 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bombs, old Composition B bombs (World War II-vintage AN-M65s[4][5]) had been loaded from the ammunition ship USS Diamond Head, instead of newer Composition H6 (500-lb. Mk 82 and 1,000-lb. Mk 83[5]), capable of withstanding higher temperatures.
[edit] Fire

About 10:50 (local time) on 29 July, while preparations for the second strike of the day were being made, an unguided 5.0 in (127.0 mm) Mk-32 "Zuni" rocket, one of four contained in a LAU-10 underwing rocket pod mounted on a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, was accidentally fired due to an electrical power surge during the switch from external power to internal power.
A drawing of the stern of Forrestal showing the spotting of aircraft at the time. Likely source of the Zuni was F-4 No. 110. White's and McCain's aircraft are in the right hand circle.

The rocket flew across the flight deck, striking a wing-mounted external fuel tank on a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk awaiting launch,[1] either aircraft No. 405, piloted by LCDR Fred D. White,[2] or No. 416, piloted by LCDR John McCain.[6] The warhead's safety mechanism prevented it from detonating, but the impact tore the tank off the wing and ignited the resulting spray of escaping JP-5 fuel, causing an instantaneous conflagration. Other external fuel tanks overheated and ruptured, releasing more jet fuel to feed the flames which spread along the flight deck, leaving pilots in their aircraft with the options of being incinerated in their cockpits or running through the flames to escape. LCDR White leaped from his burning aircraft but was killed instantly (along with many firefighters) by the cooking off of the first bomb. LCDR Herbert A. Hope of VA-46 (and operations officer of CVW-17) jumped out of the cockpit of his Skyhawk between explosions, rolled off the flight deck and into the starboard man-overboard net. Making his way down below to the hangar deck, he took command of a firefighting team. "The port quarter of the flight deck where I was", he recalled, "is no longer there."[1] With his aircraft surrounded by flames, McCain escaped by climbing out of the cockpit, walking down the nose and jumping off the refueling probe.

The impact of the Zuni dislodged two of the 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs (World War II-vintage AN-M65s[4][5]), which lay in the burning fuel. The fire team's chief, Gerald Farrier (without benefit of protective clothing) immediately smothered the bombs with a PKP fire extinguisher in an effort to knock down the fuel fire long enough to allow the pilots to escape. According to their training, the fire team normally had almost three minutes to reduce the temperature of the bombs to a safe level, but the chief did not realize the "Comp. B" bombs were already critically close to cooking-off until one split open. The chief, knowing a lethal explosion was imminent, shouted for the fire team to withdraw but the bomb exploded seconds later - only one and a half minutes after the start of the fire.[7]

The detonation destroyed McCain's aircraft (along with its remaining fuel and armament), blew a crater in the armored flight deck, and sprayed the deck and crew with shrapnel and burning jet fuel. It killed the on-deck firefighting contingent, with the exception of three men who survived with critical injuries. The two bomb-laden A-4s in line ahead of McCain's were riddled with shrapnel and engulfed in the flaming jet fuel still spreading over the deck, causing more bombs to detonate and more fuel to spill.

Nine bomb explosions occurred on the flight deck, eight caused by the "Comp. B" bombs and the ninth occurred as a sympathetic detonation between an old bomb and a newer H6 bomb. The explosions tore large holes in the armored flight deck, causing flaming jet fuel to drain into the interior of the ship, including the living quarters directly underneath the flight deck, and the below-decks aircraft hangar.

Sailors and Marines controlled the flight deck fires by 12:15, and continued to clear smoke and to cool hot steel on the 02 and 03 levels until all fires were under control by 13:42. They finally declared the fire defeated at 04:00 the next morning, due to additional flare-ups.[1]

Throughout the day the ship’s medical staff worked in dangerous conditions to assist their comrades. HM2 Paul Streetman, one of 38 corpsmen assigned to the carrier, spent over 11 hours on the mangled flight deck tending to his shipmates. The large number of casualties quickly overwhelmed the ship’s Sick Bay staff, and Forrestal was escorted by USS Henry W. Tucker (DD-875) to rendezvous with hospital ship USS Repose (AH-16) at 20:54, allowing the crew to begin transferring the dead and wounded at 22:53.[1]
[edit] Aftermath
Forrestal about one month after the fire
A deck edge spray system was first installed on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) as a direct result of the Forrestal fire in 1969

The fire left 134 crewmen dead[8] and 161 more injured[2]. Many planes and armament were jettisoned to prevent them from catching fire or exploding. Twenty-one aircraft also sustained enough damage from fire, explosions and salt water to be stricken from naval inventory, including seven McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs (BuNos 153046, 153054, 153060, 153061, 153066, 153069 and 153912); 11 A-4E Skyhawks (149996, 150064, 150068, 150084, 150115, 150118, 150129, 152018, 152024, 152036 and 152040); and three RA-5C Vigilantes (148932, 149284 and 149305). The fire also revealed that Forrestal required a heavy duty, armored forklift for use in the emergency jettisoning of aircraft (particularly heavier types such as the RA-5C Vigilante),[1] since the sailors of Forrestal had been forced to manually jettison numerous aircraft through human force,[citation needed] which was both inefficient and dangerous to the exposed crew.

From 31 July-11 August 1967, Forrestal was moored at Leyte Pier at Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines for temporary repairs. On 12–13 September, Forrestal arrived at Naval Station Mayport and unloaded aircraft and the crews of squadrons based in Florida. On 14 September, the ship returned to Norfolk and was welcomed home by over 3,000 family members and friends gathered on Pier 12 and onboard Randolph, Forrestal's host ship.[1]

From 19 September 1967-8 April 1968, Forrestal underwent repairs in Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The carrier occupied drydock number 8 from 21 September 1967-10 February 1968. The ship floated out from drydock and shifted to Berths 42 and 43 in front of the drydock to complete repairs.[1] During the post-fire refit, the ship's four aft 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 guns were removed. The forward four guns were removed prior to 1962.

From April 8–15, 1968, CAPT Robert B. Baldwin sailed the ship down the Elizabeth River and out into the waters off the Virginia capes for her post-repair trials, the ship’s first time at sea in 207 days. While accomplishing trials the ship also recorded her first arrested landing since the fire when CDR Robert E. Ferguson, Commander, CVW-17, landed on board.[1]
Flags and photos displayed at a 40th anniversary memorial ceremony in Norfolk, VA.
[edit] Lessons Learned

Even today the Navy commonly refers to the fire aboard Forrestal, and the lessons learned, when teaching damage control and ammunition safety. The Navy circulated the lessons which the men of Forrestal re-learned at such cost throughout the Fleet, and the flight deck film of the flight operations, subsequently entitled Learn Or Burn, became mandatory viewing for fire fighting trainees for years.[1] All new Navy recruits are required to view a training video titled Trial by Fire: A Carrier Fights for Life[9], produced from footage of the fire and damage control efforts, both successful and unsuccessful. On the one hand there were damage control teams spraying foam on the deck to contain the flames, which was the correct procedure, while on the other hand crewmen on the other side of the deck sprayed seawater, washing away the foam and worsening the situation by washing burning fuel through the hole in the flight deck into the decks below; burning fuel is not easily extinguished and can in fact be spread by water. Due to the first bomb blast killing nearly all of the specially trained firefighters on the ship, the remaining crew, who had no formal firefighting training, had to improvise[10],

Nowadays, it is said that every US Navy sailor is a firefighter first. A large portion of basic training is dedicated to firefighting and prevention tactics. Though there were many firefighting tools available on Forrestal, including the use of Oxygen Breathing Apparatus, the general crew were not trained in their use and failed to use them correctly[citation needed].

In response, a "wash down" system was incorporated into all carriers, which floods the flight deck with foam or water. Many other fire safety improvements stemmed from this incident.

The Farrier Fire Fighting School Learning Site in Norfolk is named for Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Gerald W. Farrier, the sailor who died in the initial explosion in an attempt to extinguish the fire with a single PKP extinguisher.

Eighteen crew members were buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[11] Names of the dead are also listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
[edit] Investigation
Sailors carefully lower the first of their shipmates killed in the fire to the Leyte Pier at Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines.

Although investigators could not identify the exact chain of events behind the carnage, they revealed potential maintenance issues including concerns in circuitry (stray voltage) associated with LAU-10 rocket launchers and Zunis, as well as the age of the 1,000 lb (450 kg) "fat bombs" loaded for the strike, shards from one of which dated it originally to the Korean War in 1953.[1]

Safety regulations should have prevented the Zuni rocket from firing. A triple ejector rack (TER) electrical safety pin prevented any electrical signal from reaching the rockets but it was known that high winds could sometimes catch the attached tags and blow them free. The backup was the “pigtail” connection of the electrical wiring to the rockets pod. Regulations required they be connected only when the aircraft was attached to the catapult ready to launch. The Navy investigation found that four weeks before the fire, Forrestal's Weapons Coordination Board had a meeting to discuss the possible problem of a faulty pigtail delaying a mission while the aircraft was removed from the launcher. The board ruled that in the future the crew could ignore protocol and connect the pigtails while the aircraft were still queued. Though never made official, the crew immediately acted on the ruling. The inquiry found that the TER pin was likely blown free while the pigtail was connected and that the missile fired due to a power surge when the pilot transferred his systems from external to internal power. This incident also led the U.S. Navy to implement safety reviews for weapons systems going on board ships (whether for use or for shipping). Today, this evaluation still exists as the Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board[12].
[edit] Gallery

 

[halsey02]

When I was much younger, I was crazy about the MD Phantom F4-IV, I assembled an airfix model & on a stand on my study table.

MD Phantom F4 fans any?

 

[mako65]

I am a big fan of the mighty Luftwaffe..hehe! Luv their Stukas, M-109s, Heinkel 111, Focke-Wulfs n etc...built n airbrush! Some are held up on the false ceiling in my room...for jet fighters, I did complete the Mig-21 n 15, a B-52! Also 1 jap aircraft carrier-"Akagi"....those were my boyhood days! Song arh...after married, bought a Lancaster bomber(Tamiya) from the shop at paya lebar but still in the box! Nowadays, tis hobby is getting quite expensive...bcos of tis hobby, I got myself some Jane's yr book all on military staff, nice for the wkends!

 

[halsey02]

I am a big fan of the mighty Luftwaffe..hehe! Luv their Stukas, M-109s, Heinkel 111, Focke-Wulfs n etc...built n airbrush! Some are held up on the false ceiling in my room...for jet fighters, I did complete the Mig-21 n 15, a B-52! Also 1 jap aircraft carrier-"Akagi"....those were my boyhood days! Song arh...after married, bought a Lancaster bomber(Tamiya) from the shop at paya lebar but still in the box! Nowadays, tis hobby is getting quite expensive...bcos of tis hobby, I got myself some Jane's yr book all on military staff, nice for the wkends!

Jap's Zero....the USS Enterprise...moon lander & the Apollo Rocket...the days of Airfix..later came Tamiya...days of young....lazy afternoons, going through catallogues ...dreaming of owing that scale model whom one can never get..your wife must be puuting up with the boy in you...

 

[mako65]

I hve frens who constructed the dioramas....nice but take up space! Those married ones sure kanna F from the wives! I even took up classes on the art of air-brush painting at tis Bugis shop but dropped out due to the arrival of my little girl!!! Hahaha..lost it but gain something more precious, I think!!! The shop has closed now due to low bizness...tis hobby shld be thaught in a all-boys school as a xtra curriculum activity, it teaches them the history n the mechanics of the machines! Hahaha...

 

[mako65]

Jap's Zero....the USS Enterprise...moon lander & the Apollo Rocket...the days of Airfix..later came Tamiya...days of young....lazy afternoons, going through catallogues ...dreaming of owing that scale model whom one can never get..your wife must be puuting up with the boy in you...

Airfix, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Dragon n other brands! Even hve those Airfix miniature soldiers figures of various countries! I luv the Legionnaires most...hahaha! Sad to say, after married with a little girl, my Lancaster is still in the box since bought 2 years ago! Hahaha...

 

[halsey02]

Airfix, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Dragon n other brands! Even hve those Airfix miniature soldiers figures of various countries! I luv the Legionnaires most...hahaha! Sad to say, after married with a little girl, my Lancaster is still in the box since bought 2 years ago! Hahaha...

Hasegawa...ohh! forgot that brand...your little girl share your love for airfix, tamiya...etc??

 

[halsey02]

Airfix, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Dragon n other brands! Even hve those Airfix miniature soldiers figures of various countries! I luv the Legionnaires most...hahaha! Sad to say, after married with a little girl, my Lancaster is still in the box since bought 2 years ago! Hahaha...

The soldiers figurines...misses them....can we go back in time again, this time with lots of money...and buy all those...:p

 

[nato33]

When I was much younger, I was crazy about the MD Phantom F4-IV, I assembled an airfix model & on a stand on my study table.

MD Phantom F4 fans any?

Yes. The F4 Phantom always looked impressive with its wide array of bombs and missiles glued to its underbody. I remember a particularly fierce looking and realistic model at Morgan's in Katong Shopping Center back in 1980s.

But my personal fav of all time is the Spitfire. Simple and clean lines and so elegant.

 

[matamafia]

They are today considered as most vulnarable missile and torpedo baits. Fit to sink any time.

 

[Ramseth]

Airfix and Hasegawa good for aircrafts. Tamiya good for tanks. Revell good for warships. There was one beautiful aircraft that's available from Airfix only, the RAF/RN Blackburn Buccaneer. However, the details on the model were much less than satisfying, really much lower than Airfix usual standards for other models. The general reason was that it was carrying nuclear bombs at that time, so no close photography allowed and no detailed specs published. For the aircraft carrier carrying the RN Buccaneer then, the old HMS Ark Royal, Revell had the best model. Most of RN and USN aircraft carriers and warships are best by Revell too. For paint, airbrush and soft brush, the Airfix range was comprehensibly unbeatable.

 

[flkyflky]

Airfix and Hasegawa good for aircrafts. Tamiya good for tanks. Revell good for warships. There was one beautiful aircraft that's available from Airfix only, the RAF/RN Blackburn Buccaneer. However, the details on the model were much less than satisfying, really much lower than Airfix usual standards for other models. The general reason was that it was carrying nuclear bombs at that time, so no close photography allowed and no detailed specs published. For the aircraft carrier carrying the RN Buccaneer then, the old HMS Ark Royal, Revell had the best model. Most of RN and USN aircraft carriers and warships are best by Revell too. For paint, airbrush and soft brush, the Airfix range was comprehensibly unbeatable.

Pse lah talk about the real weapons, not the boyish toys lah!

 

[mako65]

Hasegawa...ohh! forgot that brand...your little girl share your love for airfix, tamiya...etc??

Not at all, dude! Girl is bz with her school projects( lotsa soft skill projects) nowadays! Practically too occupied with other activities so not building any at the moment!!! Hahaha...ok, we leave tis as it is cos broFlky is not happy if we are not into his topic!

 

[halsey02]

Yes. The F4 Phantom always looked impressive with its wide array of bombs and missiles glued to its underbody. I remember a particularly fierce looking and realistic model at Morgan's in Katong Shopping Center back in 1980s.

But my personal fav of all time is the Spitfire. Simple and clean lines and so elegant.

Is Morgan at Katong Shopping Centre still there?, it had been some years..

 

[halsey02]

Pse lah talk about the real weapons, not the boyish toys lah!

That is where all our interests started....from models to real thing...unfortunately not many us became ADMIRALS or fighter pilots or even B-Generals...

 

[flkyflky]

That is where all our interests started....from models to real thing...unfortunately not many us became ADMIRALS or fighter pilots or even B-Generals...

I fainted liao!

 

[mako65]

They are today considered as most vulnarable missile and torpedo baits. Fit to sink any time.

Very well said! Considered them as sitting ducks in a modern conventional warfare, very vulnerable cos the carriers itself are also heavily loaded with megatons of bombs! Shld be scrapped n put those sheets of steel to better use...hahaha!

 

[Ramseth]

Is Morgan at Katong Shopping Centre still there?, it had been some years..

Morgan, I'm not sure. Orchard Hobby should still be the Mecca for model hobbyists, at Centrepoint 3rd floor, opposite Royal Sporting House.

 

[mako65]

I fainted liao!

U nd any smelling salt? Hahaha...that's true as wat broHalsey pointed out, the boyhood is the best time to mould the character! A healthy boyhood is wat I meant!