Forrestal (CVA 59) - Naval Cruise Book

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HISTORY of USS FORRESTAL For more than a quarter of a century, the aircraft carrier Forrestal has traveled the oceans of the world. Her beginning marked a new era in the evo- lution of aircraft carriers and Naval Aviation. Throughout the years and on this deployment, her 16th to the Mediterranean, her crew has continued to meet every challenge - even some that her designers could not have forseen. During the years following World War ll, the need for an aircraft carrier larger than the Midway Class became increasingly apparent. Advances in avi- ation, particularly in jet aircraft, could be exploited fully only by the construction of a larger and heavier carrier. In July, 1951, the Navy announced a contract had been awarded to build a 60,000-ton, 1,039- foot carrier that would be designated CVB-59. The keel for the new ship was laid in July 1952. Less than 30 months later the first of the so-called super carriers was launched. Mrs. James V. Forrestal, widow of the first Secretary of Defense,

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TABLE OF CONTENTS BATTLE FORCE SIXTH FLEET USS FORRESTAL CHAIN OF COMMAND AIR DEPARTMENT ADMIN DEPARTMENT H.. 3- .--. U, .4 41.-. ff. 'W fm. vw, 5 -q rw m wyffx r ff VII nm ffm 411 555421 yjfifvxz? .,-,- fc. .,.1z,,.. ., V- Y- 1-,J f,.fg.f,,1 ,. :M ,+I ,ls W X 5 fe -, M wg- g, A 1,1 w, ,,n.,. 4. ,bw :1.f?-vii ghd: gnf -iw' ll 'Q 2+ ,W-rm ?,'f'J1P' 1. 32 m.fp1J vs rf Lf- I ,Q -4 ,Q M -1, ,mc ni -S234 ,561 MQ- 'If' ru 5Wt,5,:2f gy H32 :Q 23351 5? LU 5fUzffE:sAmsJQ.fau?fai Q-Aww, A ,LL MLHVJMQ JSQ mmww v as wma Sf X SAFETY DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT DECK DEPARTMENT NAVIGATION DEPARTMENT TRAINING DEPARTMENT CHAPLAINS DEPARTMENT 5 WEAPONS DEPARTMENT AIRCRAFT INTERMEDIATE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT MEDICAL DEPARTMENT DENTAL DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT mm 5 SUPPLY DEPARTMENT I CARRIER AIR WING SEVENTEEN FIGHTER SQUADRON SEVENTY-FOUR ELECTRONIC WARFARE SQUADRON ONE THIRTY ATTACK SQUADRON EIGHTY-FIVE MARINE FIGHTERIATTACK SQUADRON ONE FIFTEEN mm AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING SQUADRON ONE TWENTY-FIVE ,ora EF If if gf-25911 4-VPS: ff mv we ww, we was :ffm mm ww J ' ' '3 4' H ,ff wiv- 4 1 . :ff n , Q:-7 A' ffv Y 'L km iisf Q 2:19 5439 Q im fem 5563 612557 iam AIR ANTISUBMARINE SQUADRON THIRTY ?f 'Efj,o75h Q35 ,EE 51 ,E W -5' 5.3 3 '3V?'3'iY5 2 f!?5Z- Wm E 'GV f' he , c, cf lx .If yb.: -Mgf? 11 -4 X gym' iw' ATTACK SQUADRON EIGHTY-ONE ATTACK SQUADRON EIGHTY-THREE HELICOPTER ANTISUBMARINE SQUADRON THREE .r?i?4 513 fl? .5253 -7727 7575 F18 FF 23 if 9.53 5 fiilkjk I-T55 ffm 57 fjga 5-Tk WTA 534,13 '-3, rrr'3Lf:f If-A ,A r 3ggf.f,f,i5 ,rr 5131: 5 :jr Lex:-:Ja 'gm,,,5' ,Q -LJ yy Q13 5:7-. gli was 1? :Q ,I 'mf H u- :5 ,f if. ,Q Kg,-I c 1,3134-: If- 54.,..' Cv :ff Lf :J ca iw JU:f:7 fLi A L W:-fix? Li M .Ig isa: Vj,gyQ Qg 55-ff' CRUISEBOOK STAFF IN MEMORIUM 1 0 1 8 26 44 56 62 64 69 78 81 84 88 95 1 1 2 1 27 1 46 1 50 1 52 1 61 1 84 1 9 1 208 21 2 224 232 241 250 264 27 1 280 282 296 300 31 4 326 334 343 344 2 I

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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