Impact of the USS Forrestalâ??s 1967 Fire on United States Navy Shipboard Damage Control

<p>This thesis examines the impact of the 1967 flight deck fire on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA 59) and the resulting two investigations on the development of U.S. Navy damage control doctrine and equipment. The first investigation focused solely on the Forrestal fire; the second assessed the safety of aircraft carrier operations throughout the U.S. Navy. Both investigation reports included several proposals to improve shipboard damage control. The thesis found that most of these recommendations were successfully implemented substantially enhancing shipboard damage control capability over the long term. Successful implementation of these proposals depended on the following: strong support by long-term involvement of and resourcing by the Chief of Naval Operations; as well as broad agreement by senior Navy leaders that the proposed changes were necessary based on lessons learned from the two investigations. Training and material deficiencies appeared to be non-controversial and thus relatively easy to correct; proposals that did not mesh well with Navy culture and existing personnel practices appeared especially controversial and were not successfully implemented.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>