Sailors to the End

April 29, 2002
On July 29, 1967, a tremendous fire raged through the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Forrestal
off the coast of Vietnam, killing 134 sailors and injuring more than 150 others. A former AP reporter, Freeman (Lay This Body Down) vividly recreates the disaster and sequence of events leading up to it: several shortcuts to expedite the launching of aircraft allowed Jim Banger's F-4 phantom accidentally to fire a rocket into the ship's deck, hitting a plane occupied by a 26-year-old John McCain and spilling hundred of gallons of fuel on deck. The fuel ignited and eventually set off obsolete WWII-era bombs loaded on other planes—one reason that the fire burned uncontrollably, but a reason left out of the official navy explanation of the disaster. Freeman's blow-by-blow account of the accident is preceded by excellent background material that includes descriptions of life aboard the Forrestal, carrier operations and the myriad dangers of working on a flight deck. Background on several inexperienced sailors gives insight into mid-1960s America, the draft and Vietnam, with a similar treatment shedding light on the careers of professional naval officers, including now U.S. Sen. McCain. In following these people, some of whom didn't make it, through the tragedy and its aftermath, Freeman easily outclasses many military re-creations in grasping the men's varying experiences. The revelatory research on the fire's causes furthers the book's exemplary character. (July)Forecast:The combination of McCain, Vietnam, fire fighting and excellent storytelling give this genre book an excellent chance of breaking out. Morrow's national print and broadcast campaign includes a 25-city radio campaign, and Freeman's former AP status should be a draw for potential interviewers.