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Carrier Air Group 17 - CAG 17 - CVG 17

United States Navy - Vietnam War Patch

United States Navy Aircraft Carrier - USS Forrestal

Measures - 3.4 x 3.2 inches (8.5 x 8 cms)

USS FORRESTAL – CVA-59 - Supercarrier

USS Forrestal (CV-59) (later CVA-59, then AVT-59), was a supercarrier named after the first Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Commissioned in 1955, she was the United States' first completed supercarrier, and was the lead ship of her class.

The other carriers of her class were USS Saratoga, USS Ranger and USS Independence.

She surpassed the World War II Japanese carrier Shinano as the largest carrier yet built, and was the first designed to support jet aircraft.

The ship was affectionately called "The FID", because her namesake was the first Secretary of Defense, FID standing for "First In Defense".

This is also the slogan on the ship's insignia and patch.

She was also informally known in the fleet as the "USS Zippo" and "Forest Fire" or "Firestal" because of a number of highly publicized fires on board, most notably a 1967 fire in which 134 sailors died and 161 more were injured.

In June 1967, Forrestal departed Norfolk for duty in waters off Vietnam.

In the Gulf of Tonkin on 29 July, Forrestal had been launching aircraft from her flight deck. For four days, the planes of Attack Carrier Air Wing 17 flew about 150 missions against targets in North Vietnam from the ship. On 29 July 1967, during preparation for another strike, a Zuni rocket installed on an F-4 Phantom (#110), misfired, impacting an armed A-4 Skyhawk's side #405, parked on the port side.

The rocket's impact dislodged and ruptured the Skyhawk's 400-gallon external fuel tank. Fuel from the leaking tank caught fire, creating a serious conflagration that burned for hours, killing 134, injuring 161, destroying 21 aircraft and costing the Navy US$72 million.

On the flight deck that day was Lieutenant Commander (later Senator) John McCain

Forrestal served for nearly four decades in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific.

She was decommissioned in 1993, and made available as a museum.

Attempts to save her were unsuccessful, and in February 2014 she was towed to Brownsville, Texas, to be scrapped. Scrapping was completed in December 2015.

US Carrier Air Group 17

Carrier Air Group 17 (CVG-17) was a United States Navy carrier air group that played a significant role in the Vietnam War. During the conflict, CVG-17 was assigned to various aircraft carriers that operated in the waters off Vietnam, providing crucial air support to ground forces and conducting missions against enemy targets.

One of the carriers CVG-17 was assigned to during the Vietnam War was the USS Forrestal (CV-59). The Forrestal and its air wing, including CVG-17, were deployed to the waters off Vietnam to participate in combat operations against North Vietnamese forces.

CVG-17 typically consisted of a mix of aircraft, including fighters, attack aircraft, reconnaissance planes, and support aircraft. These aircraft were used for a variety of missions, such as close air support for ground troops, interdiction of enemy supply lines and infrastructure, air defense of the carrier task force, and aerial reconnaissance.

Throughout the war, CVG-17 pilots flew countless sorties over Vietnam, facing anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missiles, and enemy fighter aircraft. They played a vital role in supporting ground troops and conducting strikes against enemy targets, contributing to the overall U.S. military effort in Vietnam.

For your kind Consideration.

Free Post over $100 For All Single or Combined Auction or Buy It Now Purchases in same order

Post on patches is $3.99 for first item and 30c postage for additional patches posted in same order. If you have any question’s please contact me. I post daily. Many thanks.

Cheesecloth backed Vietnam War patch - Filler - made for collecting, swapping, made during conflict and through to mid-late 1980's in Vietnam - Pieces were made in Vietnam.

More recent, similar pieces are felt backed (I do not sell felt back) - if you have any questions about anagrams used, translations, unit location etc please ask – I am always happy to answer.

Command Control, North, South, Central, MACV, Special Forces, SOG, Special Op’s, Special Operations Group, 5 th Special Forces, Army Security Agency, Military Intelligence, Psy-Ops, US Army, De Oppresso Liber, Airborne, 1 st Special Forces, CIDG, Mike Force, Mobile Guerrilla Force, Mobile Strike Force, Operations Detachment, Provincial Recon Unit, Recon Teams, RT, USMC, United States Marine Corps, Vietnam War, WWII, WWI, French Indochine War, French Foreign Legion, Legion Etrange, Project Omega, Recondo School, Rapid Fire, Project Delta, Special Missions Advisory Force, Project Gamma, Project Sigma, Indigenous Troops, MACV-SOG, CCC, CCS, CCN, USARV, SMAG, TAG, Field Training Command, Recon Team Leader, US Navy, Air Force, AATTV, Long Tan, Nui Dat, AAFV, ATF, New Zealand V Force, Big Red One, 1st Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, Tropic Lightning, 25th Infantry Division, Subdued, Patch, Patches, Uniform, Helmet, Flash, Beret, Arc, Tab, 101 st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne, 173rd Airborne, Combat, Militaria, Medal, Badge, Map, 199th Infantry Brigade, Old Ironsides, 5th Infantry Division, MAAG, USARPAC, XXIV Corps, 23rd Infantry Division, Americal, 38th Infantry Division, Black Op’s, Clandestine, Non-Conventional Warfare, 11th Infantry Brigade, 11th Armored, 196th , 1st Aviation, 18th Engineers, Medic, Medical, Viet Cong, VC, Viet Minh, Dien Bien Phu, Saigon, Tiger Force Rangers, Ranger, Logistical Command, Khe Sanh, POW, RVN, ARVN, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, NVA, Hanoi, Siagon, Phan Rang, LLDB, Bright Light, Free World Forces, Company, Platoon, Patrol, Long Range, Special Forces, ARVN, Green Berets, Elite, Recon, Reconnaiance, CCN, CCC, CCS, MACV SOG, SOA, Paratrooper, Parachutist, Vietnam War, Special Operations, Military, Tiger, Ranger, Route, Team, VC, NVA, Viet Cong, Command Control