The Spanish Peaks can be seen for many miles and have been used for for hundreds of years as a landmark by those passing through the area. The Ute and Comanche Indians called the mountains Wahatoya which means Breasts of the Earth or Breasts of the World.
A third was destroyed on the deck of the carrier USS Forrestal when a missile fired accidentally from another plane hit either the plane next to McCain's or, less likely, his own aircraft, triggering a disastrous fire that killed 134 sailors and nearly killed McCain.
In June 1967, Forrestal departed Norfolk for duty in waters off Vietnam. As the huge ship cut a wake through the calm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin on 29 July 1967, the hot, tropical sun beat down from a clear sky.