1966 — Oct 26, USS Oriskany fire, lit magnesium flare in flare locker, off Vietnam — 44
–44 Farelly. “A Tragic Accident Onboard the USS Oriskany…” War History Online, 12-1-2016
–44 U. S. Navy. USS Oriskany (CVA 34). Cites Dictionary of American Fighting Ships.[1]
–44 Wikipedia. “USS Oriskany fire.” 8-28-2019 edit. Accessed 2-19-2020.
–43 Bugbee. “Fire Protection Developments in 1966.” NFPA Fire Journal, 61/2, Mar 1967, p43.
Narrative Information
Farelly: “On the morning of the 26th of October, 1966 the USS Oriskany was stationed 50 miles off the north coast of Vietnam. A group of Skyhawk jet bombers was being prepared for action in the hanger below.
“Oriskany, an Essex-Class Aircraft Carrier, had seen plenty of action during the Vietnam War. However, that morning would see the heaviest losses – without an enemy ship in sight.
“At around 0730 the ship’s fire alarm sounded. A parachute flare had accidentally ignited in the forward flare locker of one of the hangers below the flight deck. The sailor who had been handling the magnesium flare got scared and panicked, and instead of throwing it overboard, he made the worse possible mistake. He threw the burning flare back into the locker where hundreds of other flares were stored – causing them to explode in a matter of minutes.
“….The fire which had started on the starboard side of the ship’s forward hangar bay soon spread throughout the ship’s decks. Because the ship was getting ready to launch aircraft, it was situated forward to the wind, which drew the heat and smoke towards the berthing quarters….
“…the heat was building up in the flare locker till at last the steel hatch exploded throwing out fireballs which ignited two helicopters, killing five sailors. Ordnance experts had the task of throwing bombs weighing up to 2,000lb overboard to prevent further explosions….
“At around 1030 that morning, after three hours of intense efforts by members of the crew, the fire was at last under control. There were still a few smaller isolated fires to be dealt with and it took another five hours till the fire marshal could declare that the blaze had been extinguished completely….
“Forty-three men died in the blaze and one more died of his injuries in the days after the fire. Many of those who died were veteran combat pilots who had survived dangerous raids not long before. More lives were lost that single morning than in the rest of the Oriskany’s entire war service.
“An investigation into the cause of the blaze decided that it was due to a combination of poor design and human error. The investigation revealed that a very small proportion of this type of flare could be ignited accidentally if the flare was jarred. Also, the actions of the sailor who had responded so disastrously had clearly been a huge factor in turning a small accident in a major tragedy. Although several sailors were at first court-martialed over the disaster the charges against them were dropped later.
“Several changes were made in the aftermath of the blaze on the Oriskany to ensure that the same thing would not happen again. The Navy changed the design of the flare they used to remove the risk of accidental ignition and crew numbers were also increased to ensure that there was enough staff to ensure that all activities were properly supervised….” (Farelly. “A Tragic Accident Onboard the USS Oriskany Cost Many Lives…” War History Online, 12-1-2016.)
US Navy: “….The carrier was on station the morning of 27 October 1966 [Oct 26] when a fire erupted on the starboard side of the ship’s forward hangar bay and raced through five decks, claiming the lives of 44 men. Many who lost their lives were veteran combat pilots who had flown raids over Vietnam a few hours earlier. Oriskany had been put in danger when a magnesium parachute flare exploded in the forward flare locker of Hanger Bay 1, beneath the carrier’s flight deck. Her crewmen performed fantastic feats in jettisoning heavy bombs which lay within reach of the flames. Other men wheeled planes out of danger, rescued pilots, and helped quell the blaze through three hours of prompt and daring actions.” (United States Navy. USS Oriskany (CVA 34).)
Sources
Bugbee, Percy (NFPA General Manager). “Fire Protection Developments in 1966.” Fire Journal (National Fire Protection Association), Vol. 61, No. 2, March 1967, p. 43.
Farelly, Elly. “A Tragic Accident Onboard the USS Oriskany Cost Many Lives – Without an Enemy Ship in Sight.” War History Online, 12-1-2016. Accessed 2-19-2020 at: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/how-one-sailor-with-a-burning-flare-nearly-cost-the-usa-an-aircraft_carrier-x.html
United States Navy. USS Oriskany (CVA 34). Accessed 2-19-2020 at: https://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/histories/cv34-oriskany/cv34-oriskany.html
Wikipedia. “USS Oriskany fire.” 8-28-2019 edit. Accessed 2-19-2020 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oriskany_fire
[1] By the Naval Historical Center.