Thursday, October 24, 2013

The U.S. Navy's First Supercarrier Was Sold For 1 Cent

June 15, 2010: The decommissioned aircraft carrier Ex-USS Forrestal departs Naval Station Newport for a three-day cruise to Philadelphia. The first of the supercarriers, Forrestal was commissioned Sept. 29, 1955, and was in service for more than 38 years. (U.S. Navy/Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Melissa F. Weatherspoon)

USS Forrestal, The Navy's First Supercarrier, Sold For 1 Cent -- FOX News

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.

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My Comment: That is a lot of scrap steel.

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