Library - Reading Room
Supporting Materials for Sir! No Sir!
Forrestal Scapegoat
The fire last July aboard the USS FORRESTAL has been blamed, in part, on the Navy brass who violated regulations by installing fancy, flammable furnishings. The fire broke out in the resident admiral's "flag quarters" - the illegal drapes flamed up, the plush carpeting smoldered and the elegant ceiling tiles threw off clouds of smoke.
The scapegoat in the incedent, Seaman Jeffery Allison, will go to court-martial on November 27, but no disciplinary action is planned against the big brass who ordered and approved the illegal, matchstick quarters.
Others have also used fleet repair funds to buy luxurious items for their suites. The expensive furnishings have been installed with funds provided by Congress for combat necessities and sometimes installed by ship's crews. At all times, the bills have been paid by the taxpayers. This time, the bill is being paid by a low-ranking seaman's frame-up court-martial.
Camp News, vol. 3, no. 2