USS Forrestal sold for one penny

[Bob Hudson]

Read the full story here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/23/forrestal-navy-first-supercarrier-sold-for-1-penny/

 

Here’s a penny for your thoughts: One red cent could’ve landed you the Navy’s first supercarrier, the decommissioned Forrestal.

The U.S. Navy sold the 1,067-foot behemoth to a Texas company, All Star Metals, to be dismantled, scrapped and recycled, Navy officials announced. It's an inauspicious fate for a ship with a colorful — and tragic — history. It's perhaps best known for a 1967 incident in which stray voltage triggered an accidental explosion that struck a plane on the flight deck whose cockpit was occupied by a young John McCain. A chain reaction of blasts and fires ultimately killed 134 men and injured more than 300.

But its rich past and nearly four decades of service are not enough to spare it. The Navy tried to donate the historic ship for use as a memorial or a museum, but no “viable applications” were received.

“It’s something that the Navy is caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Ken Killmeyer, historian for the USS Forrestal Association and a survivor of the 1967 incident. “They have to have these vessels no matter how big or small they are, and they use them as you would your car until they’re no longer financially viable. So, they decommission them.”

The company plans to tow the aircraft carrier from its current location at the Navy’s inactive ship facility in Philadelphia to its facility in Brownsville, Texas. All Star Metals anted up the token purchase price based on its anticipated cost of moving and dismantling the ship and the value of the scrap metal it will yield, according to a Navy press release.

[Wharfmaster]

A good friend of mine was a Parachute Rigger on the Forrestal not long after the tragic accident. He said, after that, the crew called her the Firestal.

[Dave]

the crew called her the Firestal.

 

Or the Forrestfire...

[dg0223]

I am from Brownsville, and I am currently trying to get a grass-roots effort off the ground in order to try and save the USS Forrestal from the cutter's torch. I have been in contact with several civic organizations about trying to get the shipbreaking company to allow the ship to be converted into a floating museum. If you, or anybody you know, served aboard the USS Forrestal, please feel free to join our Facebook group:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1416945305188780/

 

If you have any anecdotes, or if you would like to share your stories with us, please feel free to do so on this page.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

-dg

[Sabrejet]

If it's good enough for the USS Intrepid, it's good enough for the Forrestal! I wish you luck with your efforts to preserve her.

[Bob Hudson]

I am from Brownsville, and I am currently trying to get a grass-roots effort off the ground in order to try and save the USS Forrestal from the cutter's torch. I have been in contact with several civic organizations about trying to get the shipbreaking company to allow the ship to be converted into a floating museum. If you, or anybody you know, served aboard the USS Forrestal, please feel free to join our Facebook group:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1416945305188780/

 

If you have any anecdotes, or if you would like to share your stories with us, please feel free to do so on this page.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

-dg

 

Good luck: it's a tough quest. Here in San Diego it took ten years and at least $14 million in donations to get the USS Midway here as a museum ship, even though this is a big Navy town. I was the San Diego Maritime Museum's webmaster and based on my exposure to floating museums I was skeptical of the Midway musem project, but I have to say that in terms of visitors and income, they beat even their own projections. It's apparently a big success.

 

But with out the multi-million dollar fundraising effort, the ship never would have ended up here and what you need to be chasing is those with big money or access to the big money people. I would guess that without a couple million in seed money (even in the form of serious pledges) to show you're serious, the ship breaker is not going to wait. I don't know what they have to pay to move and berth an aircraft carrier, but I'm sure their costs are mounting everyday.

 

You can learn a bit about the Midway project at http://www.midwaysailor.com/midway/museum3.html

[Buckshot329]

When in DC in 2012, I visited the Vietnam War Memorial and I was very lucky to be able to attend a commemorative ceremony that was going on, that I did not know of. It was a very special moment and very emotional to be amongst all men that served on the ship and those that were there during the fire. I hope you will succeed in saving the USS Forrestal, it would be sad to lose such a ship.

[gwb123]

I thought the preferred method these days was to remove all the eco endangering material and then to sink the hulk to become a reef and diving destination.

 

At least by this method, the proud ship escapes being broken up and goes onto a final mission.

 

USS Oriskany (CV-34) 2006

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oriskany_(CV-34)

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

I thought the preferred method these days was to remove all the eco endangering material and then to sink the hulk to become a reef and diving destination.

 

At least by this method, the proud ship escapes being broken up and goes onto a final mission.

 

USS Oriskany (CV-34) 2006

 

 

Sinking it apparently costs about the same (or more) as making it a museum.

 

One website says, "the total cost to sink the Oriskany, including environmental remediation and preparation, towing, risk studies and port fees is estimated at $19 million." (mostly for environmental cleanup)

 

Another website says it ended up being a $20 million project. That's more that what it cost to get the Midway established as a museum ship, but the Midway didn't have to be stripped bare inside.

[SergeantMajorGray]

To buy the USS North Carolina from the Navy it cost $330,000 in 1961. And about waste and hazardous materials on the NC there are 230,000 pounds of waste oil still on the Showboat. Years ago a company offered for FREE to pump out all of the oil and the people in charge rejected the offer and now due environmental regulations they have to pump it out and it cost $30,000 for only a fraction of the amount.

[capa]

I appreciate this thread because I had not read about Forrestal, the man, before now although I have seen the documentary footage of the fire. Tragic end for him and we'll see what happens to the ship...

[vostoktrading]

Or the Forrestfire...

 

Back in the early 1980's when I was in my early 20s I was discussing the USS Forrestal with my best friend who was a retired diver with the Navy and had served in Vietnam.

I off-hand used the term "Forrestfire" to describe that ship and boy, did he get angry at me! I apologized and he explained (after he calmed down) that he had friends among the 134 sailors who died in that tragic event.

Jon.