#OTD in 1967, USS Forrestal was rocked by a series of fires and explosions after a glitch caused a Zuni rocket on an F-4B Phantom to fire and hit the fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk on deck. The disaster killed 134 sailors and injured 161. Among the survivors was John McCain. | U.S. Naval Institute

What begins as a manageable fire spirals into hell in under two minutes. Captured by the PLAT camera aboard USS *Forrestal*, this reel shows the early moments of the July 29, 1967 disaster. At first, it looks containable—just smoke and fire on the deck, hoses on it very quickly. But at 1:45, all hell breaks loose. Explosions ripple across the flight deck. Flames roar through fuel and ordnance. The men standing there vanish. Watch closely—one of the jets struck is piloted by Lt. John McCain. He l