Source: https://www.startribune.com/, October 1, 2022
By: Mike Hughlett

In 1967, fire ravaged the USS Forrestal stationed off the coast of North Vietnam, killing 134 sailors. The aircraft carrier’s firefighting systems had proven woefully inadequate.

The disaster prompted action. The Navy rolled out a new and far more effective fire suppressant it had been developing with 3M. By the early 1970s, the Air Force had also adopted the new firefighting foam, known as AFFF.

Sales of the foam boomed, and Maplewood-based 3M dominated the market. Read more.