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Fire,
Fire on the Flight Deck Aft! W. T. Burgess was the Boatswains Mate of the watch. His excited voice alerted the crew of FORRESTAL that morning. "Fire, fire on the flight deck aft. Man all fog foam stations." The flight deck crews had responded seconds earlier, when the first puff of black smoke and flash of flame appeared beneath the belly of an A4 Skyhawk. Aviation Boatswains Mate Chief Gerald Farrier, armed with only a fire extinguisher, led four hose-men to the nearest bomb-laden aircraft engulfed in flames. The clang of the general quarters alarm cut through the air. The first bomb exploded in 1 minute and 34 seconds after the fire started. Chief Farrier, the hose-men and other men in the area were killed instantly or injured. That horrific explosion wiped out dozens of the crew instantly, including almost all of the specially trained flight deck firefighters. Flying shrapnel tore into aircraft, ruptured fuel tanks, and spread lakes of flaming JP-5 over the deck, engulfing the aircraft and ordnance. Within minutes the sailors rallied together, their common purpose was to save their shipmates, and their ship. Determined, fighting fire amidst exploding bombs, controlling damage throughout the ship, and rescuing shipmates trapped in smoke-filled compartments, the men of FORRESTAL fought on until the fire was controlled and extinguished. There was Lance Corporal Travis Opdyke, a former pre-med student, who ran to sick bay and assisted the doctors and corpsmen. They all worked for 72 straight hours with very little rest. ABH3 Larry Cope, in a forklift, charged headlong toward a burning RA5C aircraft, knowing full well it might explode at any instant, and pushed it over the side. ADR2 Lonnie Black, one of the three EOD men aboard, was lowered by a line into a flame-covered pit in the flight deck and disarmed a 500-pound bomb. His boss, LTJG Bob Gates, disarmed other bombs in the midst of the inferno. Hundreds of men worked on the flight deck, tossing missiles and bombs over the side. Aircraft were pushed forward out of danger. Damage Control Central established a fire boundary. The Men Of Forrestal fought to contain the fire, and it never reached the boundary lines. The fires burned for over 18 hours, but finally the untiring efforts of exhausted sailors, won. The names and acts of heroism on July 29, 1967 would encompass the roster of FORRESTAL, Air Wing SEVENTEEN and COMCARDIV TWO personnel. The stories of bravery exhibited that day will be retold as long as there is a FORRESTAL, or perhaps as long as there is a United States Navy. Hot topic Question: Did John McCain start the 1967 fire on the USS Forrestal? |
