Souvenir Program, Keel Laying, U.S.S. Forrestal, Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, July 14, 1952.

U.S.S. Forrestal, Christening, Newport News, Virginia, December 11, 1954.

U.S.S. Forrestal, CVA-59, Commissioning, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, 1 October 1955.

Commissioning Ceremony. Order of Service.

Cover of a 32-page booklet.

Mediterranean Cruise, 1963 (the photo is actually a little bit older, circa 1961).

Probably distributed in 1963 (CO's were CAPT Geis and CAPT Guinn.) This is a 22-page booklet.

Note: This is a large file. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take a few minutes to download.

In Italian, June 1971.

In Spanish, 1971.

In French, 1988.

In English, "Visit to New Orleans, Lousiana — 12–17 February 1988".

In English, 1991.

In English, 1992 (as AVT-59).

VA-176 "Thunderbolts" mug, February 1988. (As part of Carrier Air Wing [CVW] 6, VA-176 deployed aboard Forrestal between 1985 and 1991.)

"USS Forrestal decommissioned," "Connecticut Post," Sunday, September 12, 1993.

Note that (in all probability) the 1967 fire is mistakenly referred to as a never-existing "disastrous Vietcong firebombing."

Ship's Coat of Arms, given to Victor's father when USS Forrestal (CVA-59) was in Naples, Italy, about 1960–61.

Postcard of Benidorm, Spain, featuring USS Forrestal.

An extremely mint and rare Zippo lighter from the USS Forrestal Westpac Cruise of 1967, the tragic year of her fire.

"Spotlight Tour Med 91." "End of an Era 1955–1991."
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
300Kb

"W Division * USS Forrestal
Keeping Peace Through Strength."
Contributed by Ken Killmeyer,
USS Forrestal Association Historian
124Kb

"Forrestal Centurion"
Contributed by Tommy Trampp
71Kb

This model of the USS Forrestal (CVA-59) is how she looked in 1963–64, made by John Adriani.

This is a Heller plastic model kit (#81065, scale 1:600) representing the USS Forrestal as built in 1955, but this kit was modified to represent the USS Forrestal as she looked in 1963–1964.

Modeling details were obtained from 3 Forrestal cruise books, photos from the NavSource website (Fabio Peña), and the USS Forrestal Association historian (Ken Killmeyer). Some of the modifications to the plastic model were removal of the 4 forward 5" guns, modification of the starboard side officer quarter deck area, adding the SPS-43 radar antenna along with the aft triangle mast, changed out the anchors, and work out the correct flight deck markings for the 1963–64 time frame. MicroScale white line strip decals were used to make the solid white angle deck lines, and the outline number 59 on the forward part of the flight deck. The glass case was also built by John.

Notes on model modifications, and comments	Existing years
Forward Port and Starboard 5" guns removed	1954–1960
Aft Port and Stbd 5" guns removed after July 29, 1967 fire; replaced with missiles	1954–1967
Angle deck two white solid and one broken center line	1961–1963
Aft triangle mast	1961–1963
SPS-43 air search antenna	1962–1967+
Angle deck three solid white lines	1963–1964

This model of USS Forrestal (CVA-59) is how she looked in the 1970s, and was made by Barrie Hole.

"The basis is a plastic kit by Revell/Italeri and manufactured to a scale of 1/720 which gives an overall length of about 16½ inches. Because the model portrays the ship as she was in the 70s I had to add all the bits which gave her final appearance—CIWS sponsons, different radars etc., as well as correcting some of the kit's inaccuracies. The aircraft were from another manufacturer and including those on the hangar deck there are over 70 in all. I don't know how many crew figures I added—that part seemed to go on forever. I also used an etched metal detailing kit. The build was started last September [2011] but I only put in a few hours each week so I couldn't say exactly how many hours went into it."