140K views · 3K reactions | On July 29, 1967, a catastrophic fire erupted on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal CVA-59 while it was operating off the coast of North Vietnam. #fblifestyle | MilitaryPhotoDepot | Facebook

In 1967, the USS Forrestal was involved in a catastrophic fire and series of explosions in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War on July 29th. The incident was caused by an electrical surge that triggered a rocket to fire, which struck another aircraft, causing a fire that spread and led to multiple explosions, resulting in 134 deaths and 161 injuries. Date: July 29, 1967 Location: Gulf of Tonkin, during the Vietnam War Cause: An electrical surge caused a Zuni rocket to fire from an F-4B Pha

On this day in 1967, the USS Forrestal writhed in agony—consumed by flames, shaken by explosions, and scarred forever in U.S. Navy history. What began as routine flight ops turned catastrophic when a Zuni rocket misfired, igniting a chain reaction of hell on the flight deck. This reel fuses haunting archival footage with restored sound to resurrect the chaos, terror, and heroism of that black morning. The worst peacetime loss of life aboard a Navy ship since World War II—now heard and seen as it