USS Forrestal (CVA-59) 1964-65 Cruise Shirt

USS Forrestal (CVA-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. Designated as an attack carrier, she set the template for every fleet carrier that followed — the angled deck, the size, the capability — and deployed repeatedly to the Mediterranean as one of the most powerful warships in the world. 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 more after that tragedy, decommissioning in 1993. This shirt commemorates the 1964-65 cruise — as American involvement in Southeast Asia was deepening and Forrestal patrolled the Mediterranean, training and standing watch in the years just before the war would demand everything.

• 100% cotton
• Classic fit
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Ribbed crew neck