F4 Phantom Misfires on Crowded Flight Deck - Fire on USS Forrestal Animated

Hi everyone! This was one of the technically hardest and most time consuming videos to produce, and I hope you enjoy the end result as much as we do. I think its probably one of the best we've put out. We don't have a sponsor for this one so the income is very uncertain, and its been a lean few months, so if you are able to spare anything to support the development of videos like this then it would be greatly appreciated www.patreon.com/historigraph

My husband was on board the Forrestal when this all happened. His job required him to remain below decks at his post. This was the best documentary I have seen about the Forestall, and it helps me better understand what happened and how terrifying it had to have been for everyone on board.

I watched your animated documentary, The Fight to Save the USS Forrestal.  My name is Kenneth V. Killmeyer.  I was a crew member aboard USS FORRESTAL on July 29, 1967.  I am the Historian of the USS FORRESTAL Association, Inc.  I wrote the  book "FIRE FIRE FIRE ON THE FLIGHT DECK AFT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL."  Before I wrote my book, I assisted Gregory Freeman with information to write his book "Sailors to the End." I enjoyed your documentary. Sincerely, Kenneth V. Killmeyer

We still watch the original Navy training video developed about the USS Forrestal in boot camp. It serves as a chilling reminder of why every single sailor is firstly a firefighter and secondly a sailor. Edit: The US Navy, I mean. One can easily pass through boot camp without knowing how to tie a square knot or use communications equipment, but one will almost certainly have their graduation delayed or halted entirely for failure to demonstrate proficiency in firefighting.

The fact that the forrestal was still floating after 9 1000 pound bombs exploded on it is truly insane

One thing the USN has always done well is learn hard lessons when it needs to. While every sailor killed or injured on the Forrestal is a tragedy, the fact it meant the USN relearned the WWII doctrine of the entire crew being the damage control team has probably saved countless lives; from the smallest mishap to major incidents (The USS Samuel B Roberts heroic damage control efforts springs to mind).

Ex-Forrestal sailor here...I did the last 2 operational deployments in 1989-90 & 1991. Not only did I get firefighting training in boot camp, I got additional training due to being assigned to the aviation side of the US Navy. Reporting to Forrestal was humbling, especially when I saw the huge plaque that hung in Hangar Bay 1, commemorating those that had given their lives that day. I still recall going back aft to the Post Office on board, and noting that the deck was warped. When I asked about that, I was told that the Navy was never going to fix that as it would be too costly and it was a small reminder of what had happened. I had no idea that part of the problem was due to old ordinance - the Navy training films only talked about the rocket firing, the devastation. the heroics of those that fought the fires, and the sadness of those that were killed in that tragic accident. Not many know this, but in 1989 while in port a sailor deliberately set a fire in one of the flight deck elevator shafts in the hopes of being able to stay in port a little longer. That fire caused several million dollars worth of damage and the 6-month deployment was delayed by about 3 weeks while repairs were made - the rest of the task force headed out on deployment on schedule.

The A-4 is the Skyhawk, the Phantom is the F-4.

My grandmother's brother was a sailor aboard Forrestal when this occurred. He didn't talk much about his service(because aside from this fire it "wasn't very eventful, being a deckhand during the Vietnam War was like being a worker ant in summer" as he said), but did talk about the fire a little. He wasn't on the deck when it occurred but rushed up when the bombs started going off, and helped with the firefighting. Thanks for the great video Historigraph, amazing quality as usual.

The ability of the navy to control fires on ships has always amazed me. Maybe it's just personal ignorance of their capabilities but the fact they were able to keep the ship seaworthy and continue operating it even with all their mistakes is crazy to me

My grandfather was a radioman on the USS Bonhomme Richard at that time and vividly remembers dispatching helicopters and destroyers to go assist in the containment of the fire on the Forrestal. RIP to all the sailors who lost their lives.

Perfect example of the Swiss Cheese Model where the disaster wasn't caused by a single point of failure but a variety of factors that, if any were not present, wouldn't have spiraled into a disaster.

Peering back into US Naval casualty history is a wonderful source of reflection and insight. Super well done. I'd love to see more stuff like this.

She was derisively known as the USS Forestfire when I went through Navy Boot in '80. You had to be able to float, swim and evade burn damage in the water as well as basic fire-fighting skills if you wanted to graduate on time and not be set-back a week or more from your company.

That video was absolutely riveting, and the roll of honour at the end was classy. That crew did some job in saving the ship.

Great video. Accidents like the fire on the Forrestal reminds us that war is dangerous, even those who may have a "safe" posting are in harms way.

It's amazing how removing some safety-pins to safe time can end up having a similar impact as a full-scale enemy attack.

As a young sailor in boot camp in 1978, the videos we saw of this made a lasting impression, as i'm sure they still do today. I served with a man that was trapped below decks by the fire. There were several men trapped that all believed they would die that day. It haunted him still, after all those years.

As somebody who was taught about this accident in U.S. Navy boot camp and studied it again at firefighting school for the Navy, thank you for covering this event and your dedication to details. You actually taught me a few things about the events leading up to the accident. Thankfully I never had to use my training for anything serious, but I was glad I was prepared because you just never know what could happen on an aircraft carrier.

I was an aviation ordnancemen and this was really cool to watch. Ive been through so much of this training aboard a carrier. It was cool how you involved the crew that gave it all and reconized them for the heros they are.