The Navy released John McCain’s military record after a Freedom of Information Act request from the Associated Press. The record is packed with information on McCain’s medals and commendations but little else. The one thing that the McCain campaign does not want to see released is the record of McCain’s antics on board the USS Forestal in 1967. McCain was personally responsible for the deadliest fire in the history of the US Navy. That catastrophe, with 27 dead and over 100 wounded trumps McCain’s record as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
WMR has learned additional details regarding the deadly fire aboard the Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal, on July 19, 1967 in the Gulf of Tonkin. The additional details point to then-Lt. Commander John McCain playing more of a role in triggering the fire and explosions than previously reported.
More @ RockCreek Free Press
On a side note, if anyone here scuba dives, the Oriskany, in the gulf, is an incredible dive!! Unlike McCain, I didn't fuck anything up while I was there.
ReplyDeleteI used to until my operation negated it. Had a boat in Dane Point.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=5165&highlight=diving
http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=25&highlight=kieu
I did a little research on this and this is what I found.
ReplyDeleteWhatever triggered the launch of the Zuni missile, it was NOT a wet start from McCain's aircraft. Photos of the incident plus a diagram, probably done after the fire as part of the investigation shows that the Phantom that launched the missile and the A-4s involved were parked on the aft part of the deck opposite each other and were roughly nose to nose.
Any 'wet start' which is unlikely given that A-4s are subsonic and not equipped with afterburners would have gone over the side toward the ocean and not 'into the face' of the plane behind him.
Not sure what the authors motive is other than to sensationalize on the current Trump v McCain circus.
Hbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kommiefornia
Thanks for the info.
ReplyDelete"Not sure what the authors motive is other than to sensationalize on the current Trump v McCain circus."
ReplyDeleteI disagree.
The author of this article is not the first
to report on this incident possibly resulting
from McCain's "wet start."
Moreover, this article was posted on the author's
blog on May 19, 2008.
Without question, the basis of the article has
nothing to do with the current "Trump vs McCain circus."
An excellent post regarding
ReplyDeleteother factual articles, from years
prior to the RockCreek Free Press blog
posting can be found here: factcheck.org/2008/09/mccains-plane-crashes/
The USS Forrestal was sold to a salvage yard for one cent. I wonder how much
ReplyDeletethe salvage yard made off of the metal.
Was James Forrestal murdered or did he commit suicide? He was troubled by secret
information he had uncovered. Over-whelmed he checked into a hospital. He wanted to talk to his brother. His brother was banned from visiting as was all family
members. Orderly checked on him prior to his unexpected death. Said Forrestal
was fine, mentally and physically and then falls or thrown from a 16th floor window.
This was not the original room that he had when he checked into the hosp. He
was moved to a quieter area but not by Forrestal's request.
Some suspect he was murdered by NKVD.
Brock, some pictures which might be of interest. Powerful pics.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/vietnam_35_years_later.html
McCain is not a "war-hero"; he is a traitor.
The USS Forrestal was sold to a salvage yard for one cent.
DeleteThanks and seems preposterous.
Brock, some pictures which might be of interest. Powerful pics.
Deletehttp://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/vietnam_35_years_later.html
Looked at them again. Thanks and powerful.
http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=303&highlight=loan
http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=5166&highlight=loan
So you have seen all of the pics from boston.com. Shucks.
DeleteI was happy to view them again and thanks.
DeleteI will cede the point that the Rock Creek Press is making hay with this rather than the author.
ReplyDeleteTo challenge the CONTENT of the article go here,
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/09/mccains-plane-crashes/
And here,
http://a4skyhawk.org/sites/a4skyhawk.org/files/images/forrestaldeck.jpg
The plane that allegedly launched the missile was #410 and the plane that was hit was #405. McCain was in #416.
From the article in the Rock Creek Press,"It is believed by many crewmen and those who have investigated the case that McCain deliberately “wet-started” his A-4E to shake up the guy in the plane behind his A-4."
Explain to me how a 'wet start' from #416 is going to set off a missile on #410, nose to nose with McCain's aircraft and the ass end of McCain's plane is pointed out to sea.
Then look at this photo,
http://s437.photobucket.com/user/6stringpoet_photos/media/82jjoh3.jpg.html
Looking from the bow towards the stern, you can see the island on the left, and the area stern-ward from there where they normally park the planes waiting their turn for launch. This is where the diagram places McCain's plane and has the heaviest amount of damage. They were NOT lined up for catapult launch as the article intimates.
For video go here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chuiyXQKw3I
Starting at 0:09 you can clearly see the line up of the planes.
Then there is this;
"There are a number of conflicting accounts of the Forrestal accident, but here is the story as based on the strongest sources. The fire started at 10:51 a.m. Saturday, July 29, 1967, as 30-year-old Lt. Cmdr. John McCain sat on the port side of the Forrestal in his A-4 Skyhawk going through preflight checks. To his right was Lt. Cmdr. Fred White, also in an A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft. A Zuni rocket on another airplane accidentally fired and flew across the flight deck, passing through White’s auxiliary fuel tank and falling into the ocean. Fuel spilled onto the deck from White’s craft and ignited." Preflight check does not mean he had ignited his engine.
Which comes from this article;
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081007_investigating_john_mccains_tragedy_at_sea
Before you go and say the article is biased towards McCain's version you should read the whole thing. It is not exactly McCain friendly.
The article does go on to point out that McCain MAY have inadvertently dropped the bomb to the deck while exiting the craft, but he did not start the fire and while the bomb would have cooked off anyway it did not explode on contact with the deck but 90 seconds later.
My bonafides? While I wasn't there on the Forrestal in 1967, I am a proud graduate of the Navy's learn or burn school of firefighting Class of 1971, where this was the FIRST case study of shipboard fires in the curricula. Still fresh in everyone's mind at that time. Back then you had to re certify every 18 months, so I got this lecture more than once.
Can't run into the street and call the fire dept. while at sea....you ARE the fire dept.
Hbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kommiefornia
Thanks.
DeleteI am no fan of McCain's but there is no reason to stretch these facts when there are so many other things he needs to account for.
DeleteI've always felt that he was a loose cannon and half a bubble off of plumb.
Hbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kommiefornia
Hbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kommiefornia
half a bubble off of plumb.
ReplyDeleteHa! :)