Fire, Fire, Fire on the Flight Deck Aft; This Is Not a Drill: An Inconceivable Story of Brave Men Battling Raging Fires and High-Order Explosions to Save Their Shipmates and the World’S First Super Aircraft Carrier

By Kenneth V. Killmeyer

In March of 1967, Ken Killmeyer became a crew member of USS Forrestal CVA-59, the first of the super aircraft carriers. In 1995, Ken was offered the position of historian of the USS Forrestal Association. During his time as a historian, Ken began collecting personal experience narratives of crew members who were aboard along with him during the worst naval disaster to befall a ship since World War II. Ken has combined those stories with USS Forrestals deck logs and the official investigation report into the cause of the Forrestal fire and has given the reader an undeniable window into this devastating event. Ken takes the reader on a journey like none other, from high above the busy flight deck on the navigation bridge down to deep within Forrestals hull in the hot, steamy engine rooms. The reader will hear from the crew in their own words what they experienced before, during, and after this most tragic day in the lives of USS Forrestals Westpac 1967 crew.

Further interest in USS Forrestal can be obtained using the following source:
USS Forrestal Association Inc., www.USS-Forrestal.com
Facebook.com, USS Forrestal CVA-59, CV-59, and AVT-59
Facebook.com, USS Forrestal CV-59
Facebook.com USS Forrestal AVT-59 Decommission
Facebook.com USS Forrestal Crew Members

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546248576

Kenneth V. Killmeyer

Ken Killmeyer, a native of the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now lives in Northern Virginia. Ken is the proud father of one daughter and two sons and is the grandfather of three wonderful grandchildren. Twenty-two years ago, Ken began a journey to write the story of the Forrestal fire. All aboard that day vividly remember what they experienced. Here in this book, Ken has joined their shared experiences into one story. Ken takes the reader along with his fellow crew members as they first experience a surprising accidental rocket launch, then billowing smoke, and then all-consuming fire. And then the first one-thousand-pound bomb explodes high-order. Men were burned, injured, and kill in this most tragic event. You will be with these brave men in real time as they risk life and limb to rescue their shipmates, battle the raging flames, and save their ship.

Book preview

© 2018 Kenneth V. Killmeyer. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/20/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4859-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4858-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4857-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018907499

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Preface

Author’s Note

Chapter 1     The Beginning

Chapter 2     Training

Chapter 3     Transit to Combat

Chapter 4     Combat

Chapter 5     Zuni

Chapter 6     Fire on the Flight Deck

Chapter 7     Not Enough Time

Chapter 8     Fighting Fire to Save Their Ship

Chapter 9     Fires Are Out

Chapter 10   The Damage

Chapter 11   Transit Home

Chapter 12   Home Again

Chapter 13   The Repair

Chapter 14   Preparation to Return

Chapter 15   Uss Forrestal Is Back

Drawing Spotting Of Aircraft July 29, 1967 217 & Larger View

Glossary of Terms, Colloquialisms, and Abbreviations

Memories

About the Author

Fire, Fire, Fire on the Flight Deck Aft; This Is Not a Drill.

—BMSN W. T. Burgess, USN

July 29, 1967

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Remember the spirit

Forever in dignity

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Carrier Air Wing Seventeen

CVW-17

INTRODUCTION

The following pages of this USS Forrestal story consist of events that took place before, during, and after a most tragic day in the lives of her 1967 crew, as well as their families and friends. After this tragic event, the crew of Forrestal for the most part sought to block out their experiences of July 29, 1967. The crew did a great job of blocking out their bad experiences and moving forward to lead successful lives. The crew and individual crew members did not seek out glory or fame; they quietly carried on their lives, speaking little of July 29, 1967, for many years. Some men could not speak of that tragic day. Some men even today are seeking assistance with their terror. Several years ago, I sent out a request to the members of the Forrestal Association that were aboard Forrestal for her first combat deployment asking them to share their experiences. Many of those members shared their experienced for the very first time in their lives. Some told me things that even their wives or closest friend had never heard. For me it has been a delicate process of using their shared experiences to tell their stories properly, allowing for the dignity of our fallen shipmates.

This story contains all the emotions known to men that go to sea: wonderment, craziness, intrigue, sorrow, joy, waiting, loneliness, fear, laughter, adventure, death and much, much, more. I have taken the time to include the events that we who served aboard aircraft carriers will always remember. Those who have been to sea will find a commonality with those mentioned and the tasks they performed. It takes a lot of coordination to operate an aircraft carrier properly, and this is one reason why the reader will find this story somewhat repetitive—but only at a glance. With everything seeming to be fast paced and immediate today, this story takes the reader aboard the world’s first super aircraft carrier on her first combat deployment on a day-to-day basis, and on a minute-by-minute basis on July 29, 1967.

The crew members of Forrestal wrote and shared their experiences with me. I wanted to join all their shared experiences into one story to let these men know how well they did and how very proud their country should be of them. I have taken those experiences, along with numerous documents written by others of that period, and assembled it in a form I believe will give the reader an undeniable vision of what these young men experienced before, during, and after their tragic day.

On July 29, these crew members individually were not famous or notable off and away from the ship. But collectively they bonded as a fighting force against a formable foe—a beast unseen since World War II that threw hot shrapnel and raging flames at them. The beast tore up their ship, threatening to sink their home. They fought back again and again. They followed their training and stuck to it, never stopping, improvising some but never letting up during the battle. They learned this from all the many fire drills they had performed, as well as all the many long general quarters drills, all the damage-control drills, the mass-casualty drills. They stuck to it, near exhaustion, powered by a seemingly unlimited supply of energy. They fought until their nearly thirteen-hour battle was won. Now the crew of Forrestal Westpac is quietly famous, for they saved their home, the Forrestal. Humbly, they don’t think of themselves as famous; they did what they were trained to do.

Some of my cherished memories since I began this Forrestal story are having my shipmates repeatedly tell me, Thanks for listening, I have never told anyone my story, Neither my wife nor my best friend knows my story, and Ken, I have kept this all within myself all these years!

Therefore, to all my many shipmates that went to sea in Forrestal who read this, I hope it refreshes your memory of your time aboard ship, whether it was in 1955 or 1993, as it did for me in preparing it. To all those who continue to serve their country in the US Navy, I hope you pay close attention to your training, for it will save your life. To those who never have been to sea, I hope this story informs you of what it takes to operate an aircraft carrier like Forrestal. Lastly, to those people who think that the US Navy does not need aircraft carriers, remember: you are enjoying the bountiful fruits of peace today because of what thousands and thousands of my shipmates and other sailors just like them endured when they put to sea in their ships.

Neither Kenneth V. Killmeyer nor any other individual will receive any payment for this publication. All monies or other remunerations produced from the publishing and sale of this book will go to the USS Forrestal Association, Inc.

Enjoy,

Kenneth V. Killmeyer, Historian

USS Forrestal Association, Inc.

Freedom has a taste that those who never fought will never know.

—Author unknown

This book is dedicated to all my Forrestal shipmates.

Respectfully,

Ken Killmeyer

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Sincere appreciation is due to the following people and organizations:

• The USS Forrestal Association Executive Committee’s past president Hugh McCabe, President Bob Kohler, Current President Joe Barry, Secretary/Treasurer Jim Brussell, Master-at-Arms Gene Siburn, and staff

• USS Forrestal Association, Inc. www.uss-forrestal.com (USS FORRESTAL CVA-59, CV-59, and AVT-59 on Facebook)

• My first commanding officer, Rear Admiral John Kingsman Beling, USN (ret.)

• The USS Forrestal Association members

• The many Westpac shipmates who shared their July 29, 1967, experiences

• All the Photographers Mates that took all the wonderful photographs and made the films

• My parents, Marion and Vincent Killmeyer, may they rest in peace

• My sisters: Kathleen, Marion, and Patricia

• My family: David, Rebecca, Heather, and Gregory Killmeyer, and grandchildren Thomas, Samantha, and Jedidiah

• Chris Coran, for his complete computer expertise.

• Debra J. Stover of Image Media in Sterling, Virginia, for her complete expertise on the drawing of the spotting of aircraft on July 29, 1967

• Diana Marie Takagi, for her special support

PREFACE

The purpose of this book is to explain Forrestal’s first combat deployment in the words of her crew and ensure that the story is told correctly. Many of the crew have shared their experiences, and these stories have been combined and assembled to take the reader along with the crew on a slow, purposeful adventure. For over fifty-five hundred men of Forrestal’s crew and their families, this was a very memorable, but tragic, deployment. It also has served to bond this Forrestal crew and family members like none other.

This story tells the reader in the present tense what the crew experienced during the worst naval disaster to befall a naval vessel since World War II. The reader will learn that Forrestal sustained more explosions and fire than any vessel since World War II. This story tells the reader how this young crew fought those explosions and fire, saving their ship and asking nothing for themselves but life. This story tells the reader of a crew that saved a super aircraft carrier—something that few sailors can claim. This story tells of a quiet, slow return with no fanfare and few accolades. This story tells the reader of Forrestal’s repair and return as an active, powerful weapon of the US Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I have held the principle throughout the following pages not to draw any conclusions, dealing with the facts alone. In allowing no assumptions, my intent is to tell you what I know of Forrestal’s Westpac deployment, and not what I or anyone else assumes.

Take this time to look at your watch. Observe the second hand sweep the dial for one minute and thirty-four seconds. Now imagine what you or anyone else can accomplish in just one minute and thirty-four seconds.

Now imagine a huge fire has started as your watch starts ticking off those ninety-four seconds. That was the time allotted the brave first responders to the Forrestal fire. From the moment the Forrestal fire started, one minute and thirty-four seconds elapsed, and then the first fire-heated one-thousand-pound weapon exploded high-order.

I hope you enjoy these efforts

Ken Killmeyer

CHAPTER 1

THE BEGINNING

At the very beginning of the existence of the ship Forrestal, her commissioning crew—often known as plank owners—commenced to develop a state of integrity, commitment, and heart within her cold steel hull that continues even today, long after the ship has been decommissioned and dismantled. Forrestal steamed forth from her home ports for nearly thirty-eight years, projecting our nation’s naval aviation might. Forrestal served as one of this country’s big sticks, ready to protect our nation’s interests at home and abroad. She served her nation proudly, contributing greatly to the United States of America winning the Cold War.

In 1955, USS Forrestal was then the largest ship ever constructed. She was the pride of the fleet, the United States Navy’s showpiece. She was designed with the best and latest technologies to bring our country’s naval aviation into the atomic/jet age. She is the very first of the so-called big-deck aircraft carriers.

Forrestal could carry within her hull more food and fuel to sustain her crew and, steam for longer periods, and operate more types of aircraft than all previous aircraft carriers. She could store within her magazines more destructive weaponry than most nations possessed. Even today, USS Forrestal, the matriarch of today’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, is nearly as large as today’s aircraft carriers.

In 1993, just prior to the economic decision to decommission, she was undergoing a fourteen-month $158 million overhaul to extend her life until the year 2018. She could possibly be the best-conditioned aircraft carrier ever decommissioned.

On July 12, 1951, the navy announced that Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company had been awarded a contract to build CVA-59, the "world’s first super aircraft carrier."

CVA-59 would be named Forrestal in honor of the late James Vincent Forrestal, who served as assistant secretary of the navy, secretary of the navy, and the first secretary of defense. Forrestal’s motto would be First in Defense.

The keel for this great ship was laid on July 14, 1952, and in less than thirty months, Forrestal was launched. In 1952, Forrestal would be the largest vessel ever constructed. Back then she would displace sixty thousand tons, with a length of 1,039 feet and a flight-deck width of 252 feet. From keel to mast, she equaled the height of a twenty-five-story building. Within her many decks, she would carry the latest technologies and crew comforts. Her huge voids and compartments would hold more food, fuel, and stores than any other naval vessel. As the first of the super aircraft carriers, she is a remarkable sight.

USS Forrestal was the first carrier built from the keel up to operate jet aircraft of the atomic age. To accommodate the larger and heavier jet aircraft, Forrestal’s design was revolutionary. Among Forrestal’s many firsts, she would have an angled flight deck to enable simultaneous launchings and landings of her aircraft. Additionally she would have four powerful steam-powered catapults to launch the heavier jet aircraft. Her design called for an armored steel flight deck and hangar deck. The flight deck would be the strength deck. Aircraft handling was greatly improved by the addition of four huge deck-edge aircraft elevators. These elevators enabled the quick movement of aircraft from the four-acre flight deck topside down to the safety of the seventy-five-thousand-square-foot, twenty-five-foot-high hangar bay below. Forrestal’s bow would be enclosed. Her eight boilers and four powerful engines produced over two hundred sixty thousand horsepower, allowing Forrestal to steam at speeds in excess of thirty-four knots.

On December 11, 1954, USS Forrestal was christened, with Mrs. James V. Forrestal breaking the traditional bottle of champagne across the carrier’s bow.

On October 1, 1955, USS Forrestal CVA-59 was commissioned. Her home port would be Naval Operating Base Norfolk in Virginia. With a strong beginning under the command of her first commanding officer, Captain Roy L. Johnson, Forrestal began her distinguished service. After her first shakedown cruise from January 24 to March 31, 1956, Forrestal and crew were ready to play a major role in their country’s naval air and sea power.

Early in Forrestal’s thirty-eight years of service, she was called upon by chief of naval operations Admiral Arleigh Burke, who ordered Forrestal, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA-42, USS Des Moines CA-134, and three divisions of destroyers to sail to the Azores on November 7, 1956, during the Suez Crisis. After making a huge presence on station during the crisis for twenty days, Forrestal departed the Azores for her first overseas liberty port of Lisbon, Portugal. After nearly five days of enchanting liberty, Forrestal steamed to the States, briefly stopping at Naval Station Mayport in Florida before returning to Naval Operating Base Norfolk on December 12. The remainder of 1956 was filled with general maintenance being conducted in preparation for her upcoming first Mediterranean deployment and a well-deserved Christmas and New Year’s leave period for her crew.

Early in 1957, Forrestal departed Norfolk on January 15, 1957, on her first Mediterranean Sea deployment. The largest ship ever to sail in the Mediterranean Sea, the giant aircraft carrier Forrestal began her maiden deployment with the Sixth Fleet. The crew was excited to be visiting fourteen liberty ports of call, undertaking plenty of flight operations, and engaging in underway replenishment and destroyer refueling details. During the six months following her arrival in January, the Forrestal steamed over forty thousand miles. Steaming this considerable distance, she made calls in six countries and possessions, where she showed her massive self and the eight different aircraft embarked to more than sixty-five thousand fascinated visitors.

In the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar, she was relieved in mid-July and returned home to the United States after 189 days of operating at high tempo on July 22, 1957.

After Forrestal’s return from the Mediterranean, she steamed up the Elizabeth River, entering Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth for twenty days for some much-needed repairs and improvements. After departing the shipyard on August 12, Forrestal participated in a scheduled fleet operation as part of Task Unit 28.1.1, operating off the North Carolina coast, and another operational exercise, INTEX 2-57, off the Virginia coast before returning to Norfolk on August 24 to begin preparation for her next deployment.

Forrestal departed on September 3, 1957, on a very large multination NATO fleet exercise titled Strike Back. This NATO fleet exercise consisted of nine aircraft carriers, two battleships, eight cruisers, fifty-one destroyers, eight destroyer escorts, ten supply ships, six fleet support vessels, and thirteen submarines. This operation was conducted above the Arctic Circle. Before the Forrestal returned from this forty-nine-day deployment, some much-deserved liberty was enjoyed by her crew. A well-received time was enjoyed by everyone on board during twelve days of friendly visiting in and around Southampton, England. Forrestal returned to Norfolk on October 22. During the remainder of 1957, Forrestal operated along the Virginia Capes and Jacksonville operating areas, conducting fleet exercises. During November 17 through November 19, carrier qualifications were conducted for the new Vought F8-U Crusader single-engine supersonic jet fighter. The year 1957 proved to be very busy for Forrestal, with her finishing up the year undergoing repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The year 1958 began with Forrestal high and dry in Dry Dock 8 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth. The yard work consisted of overhauling three of her main condenser turbines, major repair work on her number-one catapult and number-one jet blast deflector, sandblasting and repainting of aviation fuel service tanks, and electrical repairs on generators, switchboards, and elevator and catapult circuits. Boilermen of B Division were busy wire-brushing each of her eight boilers. They also cleaned the evaporators. Forrestal departed the shipyard on February 21 and immediately went to ammo anchorage in Hampton Roads for seven days of ammo loading. On February 28, Forrestal moored for the first time at the newly completed pier 12 at Naval Operating Base Norfolk. During most of March, Forrestal was busy conducting day and night carrier qualifications of navy and marine squadrons and participating in Fleet Exercise LANTPHIBEX along the Virginia Capes and North Carolina operating areas. April and May of 1958 found Forrestal conducting more carrier qualifications, with stops in and out of Norfolk and Mayport. On May 24, Forrestal moored at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth for twenty-nine days of much-needed repairs. On June 21, the much-anticipated dependents cruise commenced, with thousands of Forrestal friends and family members touring the ship for a day with their sailors at sea. The remainder of June and the first week of July found Forrestal conducting carrier qualification in and out of Norfolk. Middle East tensions continued to rise when, on July 14, Arab nationalists seized the Iraqi government in a bloody coup, killing the pro-Western king Faisal and Premier General Nuri es Said, causing crises throughout the Middle East.

On July 18, Forrestal, along with Carrier Air Group Ten, embarked with nine squadrons was quickly ordered to depart Norfolk steaming to the mid-Atlantic in response to the Lebanon crisis. After twenty-one days of operating in the mid-Atlantic, Forrestal returned when tensions eased on August 7.

Later that year, on September 2, 1958, Forrestal, along with Carrier Air Group Ten, departed on her second Mediterranean Sea deployment. After steaming to the Mediterranean, Forrestal dropped anchor in Augusta Bay, Sicily, on September 16, relieving USS Saratoga CVA-60. For the next 192 days, Forrestal showed the flag while visiting eleven ports, visiting many sights, and enjoying actor and comedian Bob Hope’s Christmas USO show on the hangar deck.

Forrestal raised her starboard anchor and departed Gibraltar Bay, Gibraltar British Crown Colony, on March 4 and steamed eastward to Norfolk, retuning on March 12, 1959. The remainder of the year found Forrestal entering Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth on April 1 for an overhaul to replace the original slanted smokestack with a rectangular one that had a flat top. The aft mast was changed to one that is T-shaped, and some of the smaller communications antennae were changed. After 109 days of overhaul, Forrestal departed the shipyard, making preparations for a refresher training cruise. On April 24, Forrestal departed pier 12 en route to refresher training in the Guantanamo Bay training area. She returned on August 31, 1959. For the next few months, Forrestal spent time participating in squadron qualification and weapons evaluation exercises off the coast of Virginia.

Forrestal returned to the Mediterranean on January 29, 1960, with Carrier Air Group Eight and ten squadrons embarked for 216 days. Upon entering the Mediterranean, Forrestal began participating in exercise Big Deal VI, Phase I, under the command of Commander Second Fleet and Carrier Task Force 25.1.2. This two-phase operation with forces of Carrier Task Force 60 and Carrier Task Force 25.1.2 conducted simulated aggressor strikes against each other and against simulated targets in Spain. On February 14, Forrestal relieved the USS Saratoga CVA-60. During this deployment, Forrestal made a record-breaking fifteen liberty port visits plus a swim call during anchorage on June 20 at Aranci Bay, Sardinia. USS Independence CVA-62 and Forrestal conducted a turnover on August 19, and Forrestal returned to Norfolk on August 31, 1960. Forrestal’s third Mediterranean deployment in five years was marked by NAVAIRLANT awarding her the battle E efficiency pennant. It was the first time since her commissioning that Forrestal had the esteemed honor of being presented this award, which is so cherished by ships throughout the navy.

On September 9, 1960, Forrestal entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Dry Dock 8 for some much-needed maintenance. On October 31, Forrestal departed Norfolk for the Jacksonville operating area to conduct carrier suitability trials for the F4-H1 Phantom II, A3-J1 Vigilante, F8U-1 and F8U-2N Crusader, S2F-3 Tracker, A4D-2 Skyhawk, A3D-2P Skywarrior, and TF-1 Trader aircraft through November 9. The next two months of 1960 called for training future crewmembers of USS Kitty Hawk CVA-63. Forrestal conducted a nighttime highline transfer with USS Triton SSN-586, a nuclear submarine. Forrestal conducted tests on the yet-to-be-installed mirror landing system equipment. On November 22, 1960, Forrestal’s Memorial Chapel was dedicated; this was a new peaceful place to escape to for a quiet moment of reflection and solitude. The remaining month of December was filled with carrier qualifications along the Myrtle Beach and Jacksonville operating areas.

The year 1961 began with Forrestal moored at pier 12 in Norfolk, preparing for another Fleet exercise, Lantflex 1-61, which was conducted from January 15 through January 19. Next on the schedule was ammunition loading in preparation for the upcoming Mediterranean deployment. Forrestal departed Norfolk on February 9 with Carrier Air Group Eight and many of the same ten squadrons from the previous deployment embarked once again. Forrestal’s first port visit began at Cannes, France, on February 25; after a brief stop at Gibraltar British Crown Colony and a quick turnover with USS Saratoga. This Mediterranean deployment was similar to the previous three, with Forrestal making a record fourteen liberty port visits, including four visits to Naples, Italy. On August 16, Forrestal conducted a turnover with USS Independence CVA-62 in Pollensa Bay, Mallorca, Spain. Forrestal returned to Norfolk on August 25, having completed many accomplishments. Air Group Eight had 10,624 arrested landings without a fatal accident to air crew personnel. Upon arrival, Forrestal again won the coveted battle efficiency E award. Carrier Air Group Eight broke the monthly record of total hours flown and amassed an astounding total of twenty-seven thousand flight hours. Besides outclassing all attack carriers in the Atlantic Fleet, her Gunnery, Operations, Engineering, Communications, and Air Departments swept all departmental E awards from the competition. Finally Forrestal operated with over fifty different US and foreign naval vessels. On September 5 Forrestal entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, for her second major overhaul in six years. Modifications planned for this yard period included changing the arresting cable system from six arresting cables to four arresting cables, as well as the removal of the four forward gun mounts, along with their sponsons and their directors. Improvements included installing a new SPS-43 air search radar system on the starboard side of the island, an anticipated installation of a Fresnel Lens Landing Mirror System on the port side aft to greatly improve aircraft approach and landing safety, and the pilot/LSO landing aid television (PLAT) system. Back aft on the fantail and hangar bay 3, an aircraft engine test facility was installed. On the bow area of the flight deck, new Van Zelm bridle arrestors were installed. This major overhaul was completed in 131 days, finishing on September 13, 1962.

After such a long overhaul period, much training had to begin to mesh the Forrestal’s crew with Carrier Air Group Eight and her ten squadrons, including one squadron operating the new McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II, a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber aircraft. On January 18, 1962, Forrestal departed Norfolk, Virginia, beginning a seven-week refresher training cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. During the cruise, Forrestal participated in Project Mercury and visited Port Au Prince, Haiti, returning on March 9. On April 14, with CVW-8 embarked, Forrestal steamed to the Atlantic for a fleet review and air and sea power demonstration for President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and some thirty congressmen and thirty ambassadors from different nations. During the next at-sea training period, Forrestal visited Port of Spain, Trinidad, on April 27, for the very first time. Forrestal arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard on May 10 for a twenty-one-day maintenance period. On June 4, Forrestal headed out to the Virginia Capes operating area to conduct eight days of carrier qualifications. Forrestal began her first port visit to New York City on June 28, 1962, where she would remain for seven days. On July 4, during general visiting, twenty-two thousand visitors came aboard on this single day. On August 3, Forrestal departed on her thirteenth deployment—her fifth deployment to the Mediterranean Sea. Forrestal would be gone for 185 days with Carrier Air Group Eight and eleven squadrons embarked. Early on this deployment, two Royal Navy Scimitars, two Royal Navy Sea Vixens, and two Royal Navy Gannets cross-decked with Forrestal on August 14. Forrestal steamed to anchorage in Pollensa Bay, Mallorca, on August 19 for a turnover with USS Independence. Forrestal’s first liberty port visit of fifteen during this deployment was at Golfe Di Palmas, Sardinia, on August 21.

After six months with the Sixth Fleet for 185 days, Forrestal returned to Norfolk on March 2, 1963. Forrestal and Carrier Air Group Eight participated in nine fleet exercises. During the remainder of March, Forrestal remained moored to pier 12. Early on April 2, Forrestal steamed to the Virginia Capes operating area to commence carrier qualifications for ten days.

While steaming in the Virginia Capes operating area on August 24, instructor pilots of VA-42 completed carrier qualifications in the navy’s newest attack aircraft, the Grumman A-6A Intruder, a twinjet, midwing, all-weather attack aircraft.

Forrestal began operating with Task Force 23 on September 10 in the Narragansett Bay operating area, and her air group, CVG-8, conducted low-level attacks against NORAD during exercise Seabrush III. On the next day, September 11, Forrestal participated in exercise Apache Pipe 11. Forrestal steamed up the Atlantic coast and moored at Boston, Massachusetts, for the first time on September 12. On September 13, Forrestal conducted a one-day cruise with more than four hundred delegates and their families to the Navy League Annual Convention. While at Boston, a record-breaking visitor tally of sixty thousand people visited the ship, forty thousand of whom came on board on Sunday afternoon, September 15.

Using a US Marine Corps KC-130 Hercules tanker, carrier suitability trials began with Forrestal operating in the Cherry Point operating area on October 30. This day’s schedule called for a number of touch-and-go landings. Again on November 8, with Forrestal operating in the Virginia Capes operating area, KC-130 carrier suitability trials continued with more touch-and-go landings. November 21 and November 22 found Forrestal operating along the Virginia Capes for two days of touch-and-go landings and full stops without the use of arresting cables. The huge US Marine Corps tanker with a 132-foot wingspan made a total of twenty-nine touch-and-go landings, twenty-one full stops, and twenty-one unassisted takeoffs. The landings and takeoffs were made at eighty-five thousand to one hundred twenty-one thousand pounds. The KC-130 suitability trials were a complete success, proving that such a large aircraft could be used for rapid supply of a carrier of Forrestal’s size; but the downside of using such a large aircraft is that it limits the normal amount of air wing aircraft the carrier could transport.

The bulk of November found Forrestal participating in numerous carrier qualifications off the Virginia coast. The remainder of November and December found Forrestal moored at pier 12 in Norfolk.

The first two months of 1964 found the Forrestal operating in and out of Norfolk while conducting numerous carrier qualifications in the Jacksonville, Virginia Capes, and San Juan operating area. Forrestal anchored at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on February 14, 1964, for three days of much-enjoyed liberty. On February 17, Forrestal conducted a one-day exercise titled Springboard 64. On February 24 and 25, Forrestal and Carrier Air Wing Eight provided close air support for the Tenth Marines as part of Exercise Firex-64. On February 29, with Forrestal steaming in the Jacksonville operating area as a unit of CTG 23.5 with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked, making simulated strikes against land and sea targets during Exercise Strikex/Aswex until March 5, when she returned to Norfolk.

On April 1, with no advance notice, CVW-8 was ordered to load aboard Forrestal for participation in Operation Quick Kick V. Within ten hours, CVW-8 men and equipment were recalled from points as distant as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and China Lake, California, and were successfully loaded aboard Forrestal for the eight-day operation.

On April 8, Operation Brother Sam unexpectedly was called by President Lyndon B. Johnson, sending Forrestal, USS Barney DDG-6, and USS Leahy DLG-16 to support a military coup d’état against Brazilian president Joao Goulart. This was an unannounced emergency deployment, and it ended with all three ships being called back to Norfolk before they crossed the equator.

On April 30, the much-anticipated cruise for those aboard Forrestal and those visitors to the 1964 World’s Fair began as Forrestal moored at pier 90 in New York City. During this four-and-a-half-day port visit, more than forty thousand visitors toured the carrier. Upon returning to Norfolk on May 9, Forrestal entered Dry Dock 8 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for replacement of her number-one starboard-most propeller. Forrestal was underway once again on May 26, with a brand-new propeller, steaming at high speeds along the Virginia Capes operating area. With Carrier Air Wing Eight back on board, Forrestal departed on June 8 to continue training for her upcoming Mediterranean deployment.

On June 12, Forrestal anchored in Boston Harbor to take on 150 members of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts for a firepower demonstration cruise.

On July 10, Forrestal began her fifteenth deployment and her sixth Mediterranean cruise; again with ten squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked for 247 days. On July 29, Forrestal relieved USS Enterprise CVAN-65 at Pollensa Bay, Mallorca, to begin this sixth Mediterranean deployment. On November 3, Forrestal added another mark to her list of firsts for postwar attack carriers: her five hundred thousandth mile of underway steaming. As part of the Sixth Fleet, Forrestal participated during the final months of 1964 in a variety of task groups, and fleet and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercises Fallex and Poop Deck IV.

The New Year 1965 found Forrestal anchored at Cannes, France. Forrestal’s first exercise of this year, Medlandex 1-65, was conducted from January 10 through January 15. During the later portion of this deployment, Forrestal participated in exercises Poop Deck V and Snoope-Strikex. After steaming through the Straits of Gibraltar on March 3, 1965, Forrestal steamed for her home port, Norfolk, arriving on March 15. During this deployment, Forrestal steamed over fifty thousand miles. Forrestal’s crew enjoyed visiting fourteen liberty ports during this eight-month, 247-day deployment. Carrier Air Wing Eight’s 118 pilots conducted seventeen thousand launches and arrested landings. Forrestal entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth on May 6 and later entered Dry Dock 8 on May 12 for some much-needed repairs and maintenance. She departed the shipyard on June 17. Shortly after ammo loading, Forrestal was conducting carrier qualifications along the Virginia Capes. On July 12, Forrestal, with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked, conducted refresher training and carrier qualifications along the Virginia Capes. This lasted through July 24. Understandably, excitement abounded on August 14, as families and friends of the crew began to arrive for the annual Dependents Day Cruise. Some two thousand dependents, family, and friends toured Forrestal, enjoying their day at sea and watching Carrier Air Wing Eight pilots perform a firepower demonstration.

Forrestal departed Norfolk on August 24, 1965, with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked, to commence her sixteenth deployment and her seventh Mediterranean deployment. But this did not take place before she steamed to anchorage at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands to embark inspectors to conduct an operational readiness inspection. After receiving a grade of Excellent on August 30, Forrestal turned eastward, steaming independently in the Atlantic Ocean en route to the Mediterranean. Forrestal transited the Straits of Gibraltar on September 7, thereafter steaming directly to anchorage at Naples, Italy, on September 9, where she stayed till September 11. Forrestal joined in NATO exercise Dense Crop 65 from September 14 until September 18. This exercise included simulated nuclear strikes against widely dispersed targets in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Forrestal participated in five additional exercises—Lafayette IV, Poop Deck III, Quick Draw, Diamond Blue, and Fairgame IV—during this deployment. Forrestal’s men enjoyed Christmas while anchored at Beirut. Forrestal rang in the new year while anchored at Piraeus, Greece. She then got underway on January 6 and steamed to engage in operations in the Aegean Sea.

On January 15, Forrestal’s helicopter (Helo) squadron HU-2, the Fleet Angels, rescued four US Air Force officers from the wreckage of a C-47 atop Mt. Helmos, Greece. The navy had extended this deployment by two weeks, delaying Forrestal’s departure until March 31, when Forrestal passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, entering the Atlantic en route to Norfolk.

On April 7, 1966, the world’s first super aircraft carrier, Forrestal, returned to her homeport of Norfolk. The returning crew found pier 12 at Norfolk Naval Base packed with cheering relatives, family, and friends awaiting their return. All totaled, Forrestal and Carrier Air Wing Eight’s 1965-1966 Mediterranean deployment had accumulated and impressive array of statistics, including eighty thousand man liberties and twenty thousand foreign visitors. Forrestal steamed over fifty thousand miles and used seventeen million gallons of naval standard fuel oil. Forresta1’s crew enjoyed liberty at fifteen ports during this 227-day deployment. Her pilots logged nineteen thousand flight hours and flew over fourteen thousand sorties.

The Fourth Division’s liberty launches ran a grand total of 21,464 miles, carrying 251,870 passengers. Twenty thousand foreign visitors toured Forrestal at ten port visits. Forrestal’s relatively young crew consumed two million meals.

Understandably, on April 7, 1966, the forty-seven hundred men aboard Forrestal under the command of Captain Howard S. Moore were anxious to return to the States after their 227 days of operating in the Mediterranean. This return to the States for Forrestal and crew would be different from her previous returns. This return would not be a quick preparation and training for another return to the Mediterranean. This return called for an overhaul to bring the young eleven-year-old Forrestal up to date with the latest that technology could provide. Moreover, there would be the preparation of a newly formed air wing and training of that air wing with Forrestal’s crew, to prepare Forrestal for her first combat deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam.

On the morning of April 11, 1966, several tugs edged Forrestal away from pier 12 at Naval Operating Base Norfolk. In less than thirty minutes, Forrestal dropped her port anchor in ammunition anchorage X-ray, Hampton Roads, Virginia, to conduct ammunition offloading of all weapons. For four days, the crew removed all the ammunition from the ship’s huge magazines. Repeatedly they hauled the weapons up to the hangar deck, where they were carefully lowered to ammunition barges that had been brought alongside the ship. Forrestal’s ammunition offload was completed on April 14.

Early on April 15, Forrestal heaved in her port anchor and slowly proceeded up the Elizabeth River to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, to moor her starboard side against the north side of pier 5, berths 32 and 33.

This massive overhaul costing $50 million called for installing a new naval tactical data system, an in-depth engineering/hull repair package, and hanger bay maintenance facilities; new electronic repair shops; a new arresting gear system, which required widening the final 120 feet of the angled flight deck by fifteen feet due to the longer run; and an integrated operational intelligence system (IOIS) to operate with North American RA-5C Vigilante electronic and visual reconnaissance aircraft for enhanced strategic and tactical intelligence.

On May 7, 1966, as Forrestal’s overhaul continued, Captain John K. Beling relieved Captain Howard S. Moore to become the twelfth commanding officer of Forrestal.

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Captain John K. Beling, USN.

A native of Harrington Park, New Jersey, Beling entered naval service as an ensign in the naval reserve after graduating from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1941. After a year of duties in aeronautical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Bureau of Aeronautics, he resigned his commission to undertake flight training.

Captain Beling was designated a naval aviator, receiving his Gold Wings in Pensacola, Florida, in January 1943. During World War II, he served in the First Bombing Squadron and Fifth Bomber Fighter Squadron in the Pacific. After the war, he studied aeronautical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School and nuclear physics at MIT.

Captain Beling had had several tours in naval research, including at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Livermore, California; in the development of attack aircraft tactics in the Fifth Air Development Squadron; and in the Atomic Energy Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He commanded Attack Squadron Seventy-Two from February 9, 1959, until March 4 1960. Later he commanded Attack Squadron Forty-Three.

Captain Beling completed the senior course at the Naval War College in, Newport, Rhode Island. He served a tour of duty as operations officer aboard the USS Intrepid CVS-11. He served as commanding officer of USS Alstede AF-48. Captain Beling served a tour of duty on the staff of the commander of naval air forces, US Atlantic Fleet, as a force training officer.

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On Sunday May 8, 1966, Forrestal moved from her mooring at pier 5 to Dry Dock 8 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to continue her overhaul. This overhaul extended from the main machinery spaces deep within Forrestal to the antiquated aftermast, which was removed. Every single item aboard was checked, cleaned, disassembled, repaired, reassembled, or replaced as needed.

On Sunday July 10, Dry Dock 8 was filled with seawater and Forrestal was moved out to a berth along the pier, remaining at the navy yard. One third of the massive overhaul was complete.

Forrestal’s overhaul progressed smoothly, and on August 1, the first of her highly sophisticated naval tactical data system equipment arrived onboard. NTDS presented Forrestal with the opportunity to become the most modern and up-to-date ship in the US Navy, and it was with great pride that work was begun to install the computerized system. NTDS would make Forrestal capable of launching and recovering aircraft electronically, locating and identifying ships and planes in her vicinity, and making navigational recommendations to the bridge. Additionally, NTDS would be able to keep track of over one hundred ships steaming in Forrestal’s area. It could further transmit combat and conning information between ships equipped with NTDS in milliseconds. Most importantly, it could guide Forrestal’s aircraft to enemy planes much more effectively than conventional radar systems. Additionally, a dish-shaped SPS-30 antenna will replace the SPS-8A, which was forward on the superstructure.

On September 9, 1966, Commander Jesse W. Taft, USN, relieved Commander G. W. Ellis, USN, as Forrestal’s executive officer.

On October 3, 1966, to celebrate Forrestal’s commissioning, a ceremony was conducted aboard the ship. James V. Forrestal’s son Michael V. Forrestal; the mayor of Portsmouth; Rear Admiral J. A. Brown, commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard; and Capt. M. A. Beans Jr., chief of staff and commander of the Atlantic Naval Air Forces, came on board to attend the afternoon ceremonies.

To celebrate the eleventh anniversary of Forrestal’s commissioning, a gigantic eleven-foot-long cake weighing over 4,224 pounds was baked in the shape of the ship. The gigantic pastry took 150 hours to make and only one hour to consume. Michael V. Forrestal, son of the late secretary of defense James V. Forrestal, for whom the carrier is named, spoke to the crew during the ceremonies.

For eleven years, Forrestal had been without a pseudonym. Almost every navy ship has one: Enterprise has the Big E; Saratoga, Sara, Lexington, Lady LEX, etc. Therefore, Forrestal’s commanding officer, Captain John K. Beling, decided it was high time CVA-59 had a nickname of its own. Hundreds of entries were submitted and sifted through until Captain Beling selected Forerunner. Thus, Forerunner seemed an appropriate nickname to Captain Beling.

Captain Beling also announced that Chief Warrant Officer Jack Epley had won the Forrestal nickname competition for the contribution of Forerunner. For his efforts, Chief Warrant Officer Epley won the grand prize, a transistorized portable television.

On October 28, 1966, Rear Admiral Harvey Peter Lanham, commander of Carrier Division Two, made his first official visit to Forrestal. USS Forrestal, Air Wing Seventeen, and accompanying ships would be under the command of Rear Admiral Lanham.

With the Forrestal resembling a construction site during overhaul, the interior decoration of the ship was not overlooked. Color schemes for offices and compartments were carefully worked out. The new color tones of beige, powder blue, and other pastels were very different from the standard gray and green. In addition, many spaces throughout the ship received new tile flooring.

On October 31, 1966, boiler 2B, one of Forrestal’s eight boilers, was ignited, giving Forrestal the ability to provide her own steam and electrical power for the first time since the overhaul began seven months prior.

To test the ship’s catapults, huge weights called dead loads were fired from her flight deck and retrieved from the river basin after their splashdown. The dead load firing marked another milestone in Forrestal’s progress in becoming one of the most modern ships in the navy.

On November 1, 1966, one hundred Forrestal sailors donated blood on a moment’s notice after a helo aboard the USS Guadalcanal LPH-7, moored directly across pier 5 from Forrestal’s location at the shipyard, crashed from that ship’s flight deck to the pier, killing five persons and injuring nineteen men.

On December 10, 1966, all hands remained aboard ship for two and a half days while conducting a fast cruise, simulating at-sea operations while remaining moored alongside the pier.

During the previous eight months, Forrestal had been analyzed, blueprinted, literally ripped apart, and put together again with up-to-date, highly technical equipment in order to perform as a modern, up-to-date attack carrier.

Another welcome addition to the ship’s overhaul specially appreciated by the men of V-2 Division was the new air conditioning for catapult operators. For years the catapult operators bore up under the terrific heat of their steam-powered machinery. They too would soon enjoy air-conditioned workspaces.

On January 1, 1967, the new year 1967 began with Forrestal remaining moored to pier 5 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, continuing her overhaul. Lieutenant Junior Grade R. M. Wark, the officer of the deck, wrote the following in the ship’s deck log:

It’s Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the place where we are moored

With starboard side to pier number five and pier services well assumed;

There are ten spring-lines and three storm pennants keeping Forrestal in her nest,

All is well, the watch is set, and the crew is filled with zest.

There are several ships of the Atlantic Fleet in these yards as well;

The Intrepid, the Okinawa, the Arlington, the Guadalcanal

and other units of the Atlantic Fleet of somewhat lesser draft;

The skipper of Okinawa is the senior officer presently afloat.

He’s full of cheer in this New Year we are happy to denote.

The duty boiler is number three bravo, fired and full of steam.

The log shows tubes were blown and the engineering watch should beam.

Two generators supply some power, numbers six and eight

they hum along their sparky song at a fine watt-output rate.

Readiness condition six is set to begin the brand new year

So with condition Yoke and little smoke there is nothing much to fear.

The Forerunner’s next to leave the yards, soon to be first string,

A finishing touch that isn’t much and a shakedown before spring,

When her overhaul is completed and blue water’s beneath her keel,

The Forrestal will be best of all and her crew will serve with zeal,

We’ll be ready to meet our duties throughout this year that’s new,

So Happy New Year to all from the Forrestal, the Forerunner, and her crew.

LTJG R. M. Wark, USNR

Officer of the Deck

On January 9, 1967, for the first time since May 8, 1966, Forrestal was steaming again as she eased away from Norfolk Naval Shipyard after four hundred sixty thousand man-days of labor on areas from the main machinery spaces deep within the ship to high above on her mast. Forrestal steamed through the channel en route to the Virginia Capes operating area for five days of postrepair sea trials. Air operations were held in a limited fashion, and tests were run on every system.

On January 10, 1967, while steaming in the Virginia Capes operating area, Forrestal operated with the USS Cony DD-508. Forrestal maneuvered alongside the fleet oiler USS Kankakee AO-39 and received NSFO for the ship and JP-5 aviation fuel for her aircraft during nearly four hours of refueling. Late in the day, main engines one and four where secured to allow repairs to be conducted on the condensate cross-connect system.

On January 11, 1967, Forrestal was steaming independently in the Virginia Capes operating area. The early morning fog proved only a minor inconvenience. Flight operations were conducted throughout the day, and a general quarters drill was conducted. The first aircraft to land was a C-1A Trader piloted by Lieutenant Commander C. S. Hosier.

On January 12, 1967, Forrestal continued to operate independently in the Virginia Capes operating area. Flight quarters were sounded early, and flight operations commenced with the launch of one of HC-2’s gray Seasprite helos. The first plane off the deck was the much-appreciated C-1A Trader aircraft for carrier onboard delivery (COD) transport. This morning a full-power run was conducted, with the ship reaching a thirty-two-knot speed.

On January 13, 1967, Forrestal continued operating in the Virginia Capes operating area. Early morning found the ship conducting full-power runs, reaching thirty-two knots. Later in the morning, flight operations commenced, and they continued throughout the day until a general quarters drill was sounded in the evening.

On January 14, 1967, Forrestal remained in the Virginia Capes operating area. The morning’s schedule called for steering control drills, shifting control of each rudder between after steering and the navigation bridge, and maneuvering drills. Captain Beling took the conn and called for all engines back two thirds, followed by steering drills twenty degrees in each direction. Later Captain Beling called for all engines back full, and then an emergency stop. All of these drills had to be conducted to ensure the ship’s steering control was at top performance.

Before returning to Norfolk, a general quarters drill was conducted. Early in the afternoon, the ship commenced maneuvering in the Thimble Shoals Channel while proceeding toward Norfolk, Virginia, en route to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in a dense fog. The shipyard refused to allow Forrestal to moor pierside because of the fog, so Forrestal anchored off pier 12 at Norfolk Naval Operations Base in Norfolk, Virginia.

On January 15, 1967, a Sunday, Forrestal was in anchorage yankee in Norfolk, Virginia. Before dawn, the crew prepared for getting underway. Early in the morning, boatswain’s mates of the First Division heaved in the anchor and Forrestal got underway for the shipyard. After a short trip up the Elizabeth River, Forrestal moored again to pier 5 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, for some minor repair work that had become apparent during the recent sea trials.

On January 23, 1967, with her minor repairs complete, preparations began early for getting underway. By 0800, line handlers had cast off Forrestal’s thirteen mooring lines, and then she began a trek down the Elizabeth River. Prior to entering the Thimble Shoals Channel, the ship commenced making degaussing runs. After north and south degaussing runs, the ship maneuvered south, entering the Thimble Shoals Channel en route to the Virginia Capes operating area.

Shortly after steaming into the Virginia Capes operating area, flight operations commenced. Early in the afternoon, a general quarters drill was conducted, followed by more flight operations.

January 24, 1967, steaming along with USS Eugene A. Greene DD-711 in the Virginia Capes operating area. Today Forrestal’s schedule began with carrier qualifications, exercising the crew at general quarters, and more carrier qualifications. Later in the day, Rear Admiral Harvey P. Lanham, commander of Carrier Division Two, broke his flag aboard Forrestal.

On January 25, 1967, Forrestal began the day steaming independently in the Virginia Capes operating area. Later she was joined by the USS Eugene A. Greene DD-711 to provide plane-guard duty for flight operations, which continued throughout the entire day. A general quarters drill also took place.

On January 26, 1967, Forrestal was steaming independently in the Virginia Capes operating area. Early that morning, all air defense stations were manned, and firing runs commenced, during which all port and starboard five-inch guns were fired, expending forty-two rounds. Following air defense drills, flight operations commenced while catapult tests were conducted. Late in the evening, Forrestal went alongside the fleet oiler USS Waccamaw AO-109 for refueling.

On January 27, 1967, Forrestal was steaming alongside USS Waccamaw AO-109 while refueling. USS Eugene A. Greene DD-711 operated in lifeguard station astern. After breaking away from the Waccamaw, despite operating in and out of fog, Forrestal conducted flight operations. Before returning to port, Rear Admiral Harvey P. Lanham of COMCARDIV Two departed. Later in the day, Forrestal anchored at anchorage X-ray in Hampton, Virginia.

From January 28 to 29, 1967, Forrestal rested at anchorage at Hampton Roads, Virginia, for the weekend.

Early on January 30, 1967, while Forrestal was anchored in anchorage X-ray at Hampton Roads, Virginia, preparations began for getting underway. After getting underway and proceeding to the Virginia Capes operating area, several helos arrived with an inspection and survey team aboard. An underway inspection and survey (INSURV) was conducted by Rear Admiral H. L. Reiter Jr. and his staff. This INSURV inspection was to confirm that the improvements and repairs conducted during the past overhaul met with the navy’s approval.

On January 31, 1967, Forrestal was steaming independently in the Virginia Capes operating area. The schedule called for air defense drills, engineering plant tests, and Forrestal’s refueling of the destroyer USS William C. Lawe DD-763.

On February 1, 1967, Forrestal was steaming independently in the Virginia Capes operating area. At 0132, the crew was exercised in a general quarters drill. Later in the morning, anchoring drills were conducted using both of Forrestal’s thirty-ton anchors. Before noon, Forrestal began maneuvering along the Thimble Shoals Channel to moor along the south side of pier 12 at Naval Operating Base Norfolk in Virginia to continue the INSURV inspection.

From February 2 to 5, 1967, Forrestal remained moored to pier 12 at Naval Operating Base Norfolk in Virginia.

Early in the morning on February 6, 1967, preparations began for Forrestal to get underway. Unfortunately, while cleaning the outside of the navigation bridge windows, Seaman H. P. Hammerschmidt fell four levels to the flight deck below. Seaman Hammerschmidt sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Naval Operating Base Hospital.

Later in the morning, the ship got underway from pier 12 en route to ammunition anchorage X-ray in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Once at anchorage, the task of loading Forrestal’s huge magazines with ordnance began. Forrestal received a full complement of ammunition for the first time since April 1966.

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Ammunition barge alongside USS Forrestal.

From February 6 to 9, 1967, Forrestal remained at ammunition anchorage, conducting an extensive ordnance onload until the early evening of February 9, when she proceeded to pier 12 at Naval Operating Base Norfolk.

From February 9 to 13, 1967, Forrestal remained moored to pier 12 at Naval Operating Base Norfolk.

Not all of the Forrestal crewmembers’ time was spent hard at work. Forrestal’s title basketball game between OC Division and Second Division was a hard-fought match to decide the ship’s champion. The game started slowly; only five points were scored in the first four and a half minutes. OC Division ripped off six points to open up a nine-to-three lead. Second Division came to life, but OC Division had a lead of eleven to six at the end of the first period. Second Division pilfered the ball four times in the second quarter. OC Division took advantage of Second Division’s few errors and still led at the end of the first half, twenty to fourteen. Second Division came back in the third quarter with solid playing by Seaman Ron Jett. Led by their division officer, Ensign Gary Oxendine (the game’s high scorer with ten points), they pulled to within four points, twenty-eight to twenty-four, at the end of the third period. The Second Division seemed to be on the verge of tying the match in the fourth period when one of their numerous layup attempts rolled off the rim. The game ended with the Second Division trying to make a last attempt to tie the game. The game ended with OC Division being the Forrestal basketball champions, the score thirty-three to thirty-one.

CHAPTER 2

TRAINING

The ship’s operation is divided among a number of departments and is further shared by a number of divisions within each department. Operating an aircraft carrier like the USS Forrestal is a complex operation; a crew of over fifty-five hundred men perform multiple assignments daily to complete that operation smoothly.

The Operations Department is responsible for the operational employment of the ship and the embarked air wing, and for providing combat information, intelligence, and photographic and meteorological services. The Operations Department is composed of the following divisions: OA, OC, OE, OI, OP, and OZ.

The Weapons Department maintains and operates the ship’s boats, anchors, replenishment, and refueling rigging with its Deck Force of First, Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions. The Weapons Department is responsible for all the ship’s armament, aircraft weapons, four five-inch gun mounts, and fire control equipment. The department’s marine detachment provides internal security and a landing force. The Weapons Department is composed of the following divisions: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Fox, G, GM, W, US Marine Detachment, and Side Cleaners /Hull.

The Engineering Department is responsible for the production of steam, electric power, fresh water, heat, air conditioning, refrigeration, telephone service, and maintenance and repair of all ship facilities. The Engineering Department is composed of the following divisions: Log Room, A, B, E, M, and R.

The Air Department is responsible for aircraft handing, catapults, arresting gear, aircraft fueling, and aircraft services, as well as the repair of catapults, arresting gear, and the aviation fuel system. The Air Department was composed of the following divisions: V-0, V-1, V-2, V-3, and V-4.

The Executive Department is composed of one division, X, which was divided into various groups that provided administration responsibilities pertaining to primary record-keeping, the captain’s office, personnel, disbursement, legal issues, training, the post office, printing, the library, chaplain services, special services, radio, TV services, and the master-at-arms force.

The Communications Department maintained constant electronic, radio, and visual contact with shore-based communication stations, the ship’s aircraft, and other accompanying ships. The Communications Department is composed of the following divisions: CR and CS.

The Navigation Department is composed of one division, N, which, simply stated, handled all navigation; piloting of the ship using visual, celestial, and electronic means; and anchoring requirements.

The Supply Department is charged with procuring, receiving, storing, and accounting for material and services for the ship and air wing. The Supply Department is also responsible for storage and food preparation for the entire crew. The Supply Department is composed of the following divisions: S-1, S-2, S-2M, S-3, S-4, S-5, S-6, and S-7.

The Medical Department, sometimes referred to as H Division, handles all medical requirements, treatment of patients from preventive health care to surgery, immunization, and sanitation control.

The Dental Department, sometimes referred to as D Division, handles all dental requirements for ship personnel, air wing personnel, and embarked staff personnel.

The Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) is a brand-new department set to start operation. The heavy requirements of V-6 division evolved into this new department. AIMD is organized into three divisions that provide superior intermediate-level repair services for the flight control systems, airframes, power plants, and complex weapons systems of all Air Wing Seventeen aircraft. In addition, the department provides support equipment maintenance and calibration services for the Forrestal and accompanying ships. The Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department is composed of A, AR, and AW divisions.

The primary function of an aircraft carrier is to transport a variety of aircraft, each of which performs a prescribed function. Carrier Air Wing Seventeen is composed of various squadrons and squadron detachments to protect Forrestal and accompanying ships, and to project a lethal offensive array of weapons against the enemy. Carrier Air Wing Seventeen CVW-17 is composed of VF-11, VF-74, VA-106, VA-46, VA-65, RVAH-11, VAH-10, VAW-123, and HC-2. Once Forrestal arrives on Yankee Station off the coast of North Vietnam to begin combat operations, four additional squadron detachments from VAW-13, VAP-61, VQ-1, and HS-2 will embark.

COMMANDING OFFICER OF

Carrier Air Wing Seventeen

CVW-17

Commander John Robert Jack Dewenter, Jr.

Commander John Robert Dewenter Jr. was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on June 10, 1927. He attended Central College in Missouri, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Florida, the University of California-Los Angeles, the College of William and Mary, and the George Washington University, where he received his degree in international affairs.

Commander Dewenter was designated a naval aviator on December 31, 1947, and was commissioned ensign in December 1948. He first served with VF-51, one of the navy’s earliest jet squadrons, and later as a combat pilot in Korea with VF-781 aboard USS Bon Homme Richard CV-31. He was a Chinese interpreter at the Korean armistice conferences in 1954 and 1955 following two years of schooling in naval intelligence and the Chinese language. After assignments with VF-93 aboard USS Oriskany CV-34, and with COMFAIRJAPAN, he served as a member of the Blue Angels, the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, from 1957 to 1960. Following an assignment on CINCLANTFLT staff, Commander Dewenter began four years of duty as an A-4 pilot homeported at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. During this period, he served successively as Air Group Nineteen operations officer aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard, then as executive officer, followed by commander of