Forrestal (CVA 59) - Naval Cruise Book

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ship, which sank offthe coast of Bermuda. The effort resulted in 11 crew members being saved. The carrier relieved the USS John F. Kennedy off the coast of Malaga, Spain. Following 25 days at sea, the carrier made her first port visit to the island of Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Afterxoperations at sea Forrestal made her second port visit during the Easter holidays in Naples Italy Because of heightening tensions of the Syrian Missile Crisis the carrier was ordered to the East ern Mediterranean in support of U S foreign policy Forrestal was joined by other ships of the Sixth Fleet A visit from the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B Haywood came during that lengthy sea period The admiral praised the crew for their fine performance and re emphasized the importance of a U S naval force in the area After 53 consecutive days at sea the Forrestal resumed normal operations and made a brief stop at Naples for supplies The ship conducted an exer cise with the Italian Greek and French navies fol lowed by a two week visit in Naples During mid July Forrestal became the first carri er to visit the resort city of Benidorm Spain Many sailors felt that Benidorm was the best liberty port of the Mediterranean cruise Forrestals last port visit was to the Spanish city of Malaga On August 1 1th the USS Nimitz relieved the USS Forrestal of her duties in the Mediterranean. The two carriers conducted a joint operation in the Med before Forrestal departed to proceed to the North Atlantic. During this exercise in the Gulf of Sidra, two Nimitz fighters were fired upon in international waters by Libyan aircraft They returned fire in de- fense and shot down the Soviet built aircraft Forrestal continued out of the Mediterranean and participated in Ocean Venture 81 the largest NATO exercise in recent years During the exercise the carrier operated above the Arctic Circle Secre tary of the Navy John Lehman visited the ship while she operated in the North Atlantic and told the crew that their accomplishments throughout the deploy ment had been noted at the highest levels of the government On 15 September after spending almost 75 per cent of her deployment at sea Forrestal returned to a joyous welcome More than 5 OOO wives fam :lies loved ones and friends greeted the carrier as she pulled back into Mayport Florida For more than a quarter of a century Forrestal has lived up to her motto of First in Defense She has played a significant role in our country s naval history and will continue to do so for many years to come

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'ef -'--M 1- rv :.--.- L-.'.gqa55,::,:'-2 .122-4 -s.-f4..:. , 4...-4 - W MU , --'- -.-- K '- -' M christened her USS Forrestai. Commissioning ceremonies were held 1 October 1955, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Commander Ralph L. Werner, commander of the Air Group, re- corded the first arrested landing on 3 January 1956. Forrestai represented more than one step in the evolutionary chain. In addition to her sheer size and weight, she was the first carrier built with an angled flight deck, which allowed her aircraft to take-off and land simultaneously. The ship also featured four catapults instead of the usual two and four deck-edge elevators to ferry aircraft from the han- gar bays to the flight deck. Following a 10-week shakedown cruise, Forres- tal was called to bolster U.S. forces in the Mediter- ranean during the Suez Crisis in the fall of 1956. From 1958 through 1966, Forrestai alternated be- tween the Second Fleet in the Atlanticand the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. ln June 1967 she departed Norfolk for her first combat cruise in the Western Pacific as a member of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. She took up a position on Yankee Station, off the coast of North Viet- nam. On the fifth day of combat operations a tragic l l --5 :1 -'-5: 1-1411 vef.f:fr-r-r-'aff- r -P-1 I-1g::f-'-i-:-ff 1.-1 --:..ff .-:wtf ,-L-,L-...A 7.2- wfi- : -117-1421-1 v-1959 :-zai?.4f4Z6'??-'-'I 1i'5,7 .'fl'2-E 555153- H :rg 1.-.12 ...-...,-,Q---,. .-,.,-- .. -.,1 ,,-...- ,- --:--- ......,..., .,,. .- , .-... -...-.. .- -----f.--.--v-:+:---W --1.-..r-ef. .4f:..--.:.--- LP-are ' -A '1 75::f '.:-. ' -:-v- -4- - fire brokeout, which brought Forrestal's part in the war to a sudden end. The flight deck fire killed 134 men and sent the ship back to Norfolk for extensive repairs. After spending seven months in Norfolk, Forres- tal deployed to European-waters four times be- tween 1968 and 1973. While on deployment in March 1973, she sped to Tunisia to participate in rescue operations in the flooded Medjerda River Valley near Tunis. Her helicopters transported thousands of pounds of food, water, and medical supplies to the stricken area, and rescued hun- dreds during the three-day operation. Between 1973 and 1975, the carrier logged three more deployments to the Mediterranean. Excite- ment spread quickly among the crew when it was announced in January 1976, that Forrestai would be the Host Ship for the International Naval Review in New York City. On July 4th, President Ford rang in the nation's Bicentennial and reviewed the arrival of more than 40 Tall Ships from countries around the world. . A few months later, the carrier participated in a special Shock Testg the demolitionof high explo- sives near the hull to test whether a s hip of capital size could withstand the strain of full close quarter combat, and still remain operational. The ship and her crew met the test well. Following the completion of an extensive over- haul in only nine months, Forrestai departed Nor- folk forthe last time and arrived at her new home- port- Mayport, Florida, in September 1977. After completing two more cruises to the Mediterranean, the carrier celebrated her silver anniversary in October 1980. Forrestai got underway on her 16th deployment to the Mediterranean on 2 March. During the transit across the Atlantic, the carrier aided in the interna- tional mission to rescue 35 members of a merchant 3.1-iii '.,g.E.'L-Z:-i.' f -3IE2..:g1i.15::iSH :gg ' '--A 5. Mahi ' .LM

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