On 29 July 1967 , the aircraft carrier was conducting combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War . A Zuni rocket misfired , striking an external tank on an A-4 . Fuel from the leaking tank caught fire , creating a massive conflagration that burned for hours , killing 134 sailors , and injuring 161
burned for hours
1967 USS Forrestal fire
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk