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by Vic Socotra (Author)
USS Forrestal (CV-59) was a historic ship that happened to make some history, too. Her crew affectionately knew her as "The FID," an abbreviation for "First In Defense," due to her christening in honor of James V. Forrestal, first Secretary of Defense. She was the first super-carrier of the Cold War. Until her decommissioning in 1993, FID represented the extraordinary cost of the conflict. She was lead ship of her class that included Saratoga, Ranger and Independence. At commissioning, she was the largest aircraft carrier ever constructed with an angle-deck that permitted launch and recovery of aircraft simultaneously, and the first designed to support jet aircraft. FID's 1989-90 Med Cruise proved exciting and unique. Beyond the "routine" training exercises across the Wine Dark Sea she joined history providing support to President George H. W. Bush during the "Seasick Summit" off Malta with Mikhail Gorbachev, last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. That may have been THE historic moment for this Cruise, but FID also continued numerous completely routine operations with Allies, Partners, and Adversaries beyond ending the Cold War. That conflict may have ended, but the routines that shaped it continued. She returned to Mayport, FL, on 12 April 1990, ending a Med Cruise that had included nine port visits in seven nations-and arguably ended the most massive nuclear standoff in world history. Until the next one. Which is now.
