The USS Forrestal (CV-59), formerly AVT-59 and CVA-59, is a supercarrier that was named after former Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal and was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers.
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  • Weapons Dept. Office, 73 to 76.   two med cruises.  Loved Palma!  Partied and "camped out" at Carney Park in Naples.  What a blast.

  • Helped ferry Fog Foam during the fire, and made made cruise with VA 152 in 1968
  • i was on Forrestal in VA-85 from 1977 to 1980 made 2 med cruises
  • I was on the FID with VA-85 . I was assigned to the PR shop and done 2 1/2 med cruises from late 1978 till early 1982. If anybody remembers me please feel free to drop me a line...I am planning on trying to attend the reunion...IF...well all falls into place.I sure would like to see some of the ol' boys of VA-85....Tyson ,Grogan,Blaylock and some others.
  • I can't beleive the way this goverment thinks nothing about giving more money for the rats in society that just have ther hands out for more free stuff yet we have some history here that would take nothing as far as money goes to turn into something like the intrepide museum
  • Just received an Email from the Forrestal Society people that the Forrestal will be moved from Newport R.I. dock on July 15th.Bad weather (wind or heavy seas) could pospone it til 16th,17, or 18th. Final destination is Philly ship yard but they have given no indication to what will happen then. There's actually a small cruise ship that will escort her and there are some $25 seats available if anybody's interested.
  • I was on the FID 1980-1983 and left her in Philly. I miss being on this ship and have found a lot of the former RM's from the time I was onboard but I remember a lot of the other guys from the different departments. My book covers that period of time and if you're interested in buying it, contact me or visit my home page.
  • Went aboard May 1967 to July1970. BT in # 3 main mach room.
  • I made the "81" & "82" deployment on the USS FORRESTAL (CV-59). I was attached to VA-85 on these two deployments. VA-85 was my first command after my "A" School which I completed in NAS Oceana, Va. Bch., Va. During these two deployments we were in conflicts with Libya.
  • I was attached to VF-11 when I rode the USS ZIPPO (or some called it the USS ForestFire) from 72-74 for three cruises. The 72 cruise was my first one and very memorable since it was 10.5 months long! I left my wife 5 mo. pregnant and came home to a 5 month old son. I also remember Christmas in Athens, Greece - I had Shore Patrol duty the night of Christmas Eve. Of course, everything closed early, so we had to make do the best we could in the cold and wind. It wa sabout 30F with a 30kt. wind blowing off the bay that night.
    I also remember many fun times on liberty in Palma de Majorca, Barcelona, Naples, Athens, even Istanbul, Turkey!
    As a squadron puke working in AIMD, I got to make ALL of the workups with the ship as well as ALL the TADs with the squadron, such as hot pad duty in Key West, bombing practice in Fallon, Nevada, etc. Of the 47 month long sea tour I had that go-round, I was gone 42 months! Anyone wonder why the divorce rate was so high back then?
    I worked in WC 610 (now called 61A) and was the one and only for the ASW25 Data Link Bench, as well as the DACON (Digital to Analog Converter) for the F-4s. I stayed busy since we were just starting to use the ACLS Hands Off Landing System back then. Chief Bobby Joe Ayers was my shop chief, and we had quite a mix of characters in that shop. I remember how much music we had after a port visit to Athens when everyone went to the stereo shop and camera shop at the Air Force base there. Lots of cameras were purchased too!
    Names that came to mind: AQ1 Robert "Mac" McKay; AT2 Mike Chadwell; many more that I can't remember at this time. Getting old!
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Looking For Friends Of My Biological Father

I know this is a long shot and I'm going to hope for the best. I'm looking for anyone who may have known my biological father. I never got to meet him as he died in 2003 and I didn't know or meet the family until last year. (Ancestry DNA test)His name was Vernon Anthony Hart Jr. (Rochester, NY) and he was a DK stationed with CVG 8, USNAS Oceana as late as December 20, 1963. I was told he did at least one Med cruise on Forrestal during that period, early-mid 60's. It sounds like he was NOT part…

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USS FORRESTAL CVA-59 LIGHTER

I COLLECT AIRCRAFT CARRIER LIGHTERS. I HAVE A USS FORRESTAL CVA-59 RONSON LIGHTER WITH THE NAME OF A OLD SHIPMATE NAMED HUDSON HIS SERVICE # IS 446-21-89. HIS A.K.A WAS LIB IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME FIND THIS SHIPMATE I WILL BE GLAD TO RETURN IT TO HIM. MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS SESTEP1@VERIZON.NET

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Is the Forrestal worth saving?

I think so. I served aboard the USS Forrestal in the mid '70's during my military service. During this period, I participated in the Tall Ships Bi-Centennial celebration in New York, among other numerous deployments. This ship has played a vital role in Naval history and unfortunately, it is now slated to be sunk somewhere off the coast of the US. It's designated area and date is not known by me, but I do know that it is estimated approximately 34 million dollars will be spent to prepare this…

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