USS Forrestal (CV-59) was the first purpose-built supercarrier of the postwar era, commissioned in 1955 and named for James V. Forrestal, the first Secretary of Defense. She set the template for every fleet carrier that followed — the angled deck, the size, the capability — and deployed across the Mediterranean and Atlantic through the Cold War decades as a symbol of American sea power. In July 1967, a catastrophic fire on her flight deck off Vietnam cost the lives of 134 sailors and changed how the Navy approaches damage control. Forrestal served for decades after that tragedy, decommissioning in 1993. This shirt commemorates her 1978 Mediterranean deployment with Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17) and the Sixth Fleet, with port calls in Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Israel, and Egypt.
Printed with vivid, durable DTFlex (direct-to-film) ink for crisp color and a finish built to last.
- 100% cotton
- Classic fit
- Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
- Ribbed crew neck