Sailors to the End

The aircraft carrier USS Forrestal was preparing to launch attacks into North Vietnam when one of its jets accidentally fired a rocket into an aircraft occupied by pilot John McCain. A huge fire ensued, and McCain barely escaped before a 1,000-pound bomb on his plane exploded, causing a chain reaction with other bombs on surrounding planes. The crew struggled for days to extinguish the fires, but, in the end, the tragedy took the lives of 134 men. For thirty-five years, the terrible loss of life has been blamed on the sailors themselves, but this meticulously documented history shows that they were truly the victims and heroes.

First sentence: Bob Shelton was still troubled by the nightmare when he reached the bridge of the aircraft carrier.

Year

2002

Language

English

Publisher

Harper Paperbacks

Editions

13

Pages

336

ISBN

9780060936907

Data source: Wikidata