Trial by Fire - US Navy film

[Liberator]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqz0cS_82vw&feature=plcp

Us navy safety film discussing fire fighting procedures and accidents onboard aircraft carriers with vintage film clips of US Navy aircraft from 1960-70s.

[seabee1526]

Saw that film for the first time in Bootcamp....part of our firefighting training.

[The Inspector]

I worked with a couple guys who were in the Ranger when it caught fire, both said it was absolutely the most frightening thing in the world to go below with your section, wearing an OBA, goggles and holding the belt of the guy in front of you going down to fight the fire in a pitch black smokey 'otherworld' where minutes seemingly took hours to pass. The only thing that would unnerve me more would be a fire aboard a submarine.

[SaxMan]

When I worked at Bethesda Naval Hospital as a civilian, I remember the enlisted men telling me about this movie.

When the Sangamon (CVE-26) was hit by a kamikaze on May 4, 1945, she suffered the worst hangar fire experienced by any CVE. Historians credit the Captain's insistence that every crew member be trained as a firefighter as the reason she survived. It's amazing that it took another 22 years for the Navy to adopt this policy fleetwide, and only after the Forrestal tragedy.

[planenutti]

Twenty six years in the Navy on four ships making 7 major deployments, this film is permamently part of my memory. It does tell the story of the worst thing to happen at sea, a flightdeck fire. It also tells the story of how brave the guys on the roof were then and are still today, bless them all.

As a side note, the pilot of the Shyhawk that was hit by that Zuni rocket, one LT John McCain, still serving today.

Bob
ATCS(AW) Ret
1975-2001
CV-62
CVN-70
LHA-2
CVN-73
VC-6
NATTC Millington
COMNAVAIRLANT Staff

Now Electrician Supervisor Newport News Shipbuilding CVN-78

[Sasquatch]

As a flight deck familiarization instructor in the late '70s, I always showed this film in class to reinforce learnings from the fire fighting course the newbies would attend prior to making it to our FRAMP (Fleet Replacement Aviation Maintenance Training) program. Always a good discussion following the flick.

--Tom

[planenutti]

Tom,
You teaching in a FRAMP makes you just a little older then me. Which FRAMP were you assigned to and when? I was with VF-101 in late 76 and early 77. One hell of a Squadron, one side for F-4's and the other for F-14's. darn that flightline was cold while standing ramp security.
Thinking of 'Trial by Fire' had me double checking my escape routes at work today. Never a bad thing.
Bob

[Sasquatch]

Bob...I was in VF-101 on the F-4 side, then VF-171 when we split from -101. I'm guessing you were on the F-14 side? And darn right about being out on the ramp in the winter...whoeee...wind right off the Atlantic!

--Tom

[planenutti]

I was a Phatom Phixer on the old AWGIE DOGGIE (AWG-10). When I went thru in 76-77 I thought it was just 101 but I remember going back for more training in 78 and then it was 101 and 171. Had forgotten about the split.

[Sasquatch]

Similar here...plane captain then airframes line rat troubleshooter in VF-101 from '76 to the split ('77 ?), then shortly afterwards on to F-4 plane captain/flight deck fam FRAMP instructor till I left in late '79. I'm guessing we crossed paths!

Small world...
--Tom