TALE OF TWO CARRIERS
PART II
On July 29, 1967, an electrical power surge on an F-4B Phantom
jet fighter, caused a “Zuni” rocket to accidentally fire across the
deck of the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal. The resulting fire and
explosions killed 134 sailors and injured 161. The heroic efforts
by a well-trained, disciplined crew saved the carrier from going
down. Not since WWII had a US carrier survived such an event
without sinking. The WWII carrier that refuse to go down was
the USS Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin, nicknamed
“Big Ben” by her crew. This is her story.
One of 24 Essex-class carriers launched during WWII, ‘Big Ben’
was commissioned on January 31, 1944. After her shakedown
cruise, she headed for Eniwetok Island in the western Pacific to
join Task Group 58.2 and serve as the flagship for Rear Admiral
Ralph Davison for most of her time at sea. She sortied aircraft in
late June for strikes on the Bonin Islands, destroying enemy
aircraft on the ground and in the air, the airfield, gun positions,
and cargo ships.
For the next two and a half month, ‘Big Ben’ repeated the same
type of sorties targeting Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, Haha Jima, Rota
Island, and Guam. She lent direct support to American invasion
forces and continued to build on her combat accomplishments.
From August 9 to 28, she underwent repair and upkeep while her
crew received a well-earned period of recreation.
She then departed for neutralization and diversionary attacks
against the Bonin Islands alongside her sister carriers Belleau
Wood, Enterprise, and San Jacinto. Torpedo pilot and future
President George H. W. Bush was aboard the San Jacinto. He
would be shot down on September 2, 1944 during a bombing run
on Chichi Jima. Rescued by an American submarine, Bush was
the only survivor of his 3-man crew.
On September 14, ‘Big Ben’ made a ‘fighter sweep’ of Aparri,
Luzon then steamed east to support the Leyte invasion forces.
On September 15, she was attacked by three enemy aircraft, one
of which scored a bomb hit on one of her elevators. Three men
were killed and 32 wounded.
Steaming on to Formosa, ‘Big Ben’ participated in battles from
October 12-16 to neutralized Japanese airbases in preparation
for the upcoming invasions of the Philippines, Okinawa, and
Japan’s home islands. A Japanese Betty bomber penetrated Task
Force defensive measures but was shot down. The pilot,
knowing his plane and crew were destined for certain death,
converted his doomed bomber into a kamikaze and headed
straight for ‘Big Ben.’ The suicidal Betty did some damage to the
flight deck but luckily, for the Americans, slipped off the
starboard side of the ship without inflicting major damage or
casualties. ‘Big Ben’ moved on to support the invasion of the
Philippines. On October 19, 1944, her planes hit Manila Bay,
shooting down 11 Japanese planes, sunk and/or damaged
several ships, and destroyed a floating drydock.
On October 24 during the
Battle of Sibuyan Sea, planes
from ‘Big Ben’ assisted in the
sinking of Japanese warships
Musashi, Wakaba, and heavily
damaged the Fuso and
Yamashiro. Then the word
came down: a big Japanese
carrier force was bearing
down on the American landing
craft at Luzon. ‘Big Ben’ joined
several carrier task forces and
headed to intercept the enemy fleet at dawn. The admiral in
REPORTING FOR WORK
charge, William ‘Bull’ Halsey, did not communicate his intentions
and sailed to intercept putting the invasion forces in danger. The
attacking Japanese carrier force was a trick, a stunt that worked
by drawing the carrier cover screen from American assault
troops. Luckily, a small escort carrier group and brave destroyer
crews stopped the other Japanese fleet sailing to destroy the
invasion forces.
After refueling, ‘Big Ben’ returned to action on October 27, her
planes damaging a Japanese heavy cruiser and two destroyers.
But on October 30, enemy planes appeared bent on kamikaze
and glory. American fighters shot down most of the attackers,
but six kamikaze’s broke
through and headed for the
American task force of four
carriers. The carriers and
their twenty escort cruisers
and destroyers let loose a
hail of anti-aircraft fire that
downed three of the six
attacking aircraft. But one
kamikaze survived the steel
curtain of anti-aircraft fire and crashed into ‘Big Ben’s’ flight
deck. The plane and debris penetrated into the gallery deck
below, killing 56 men and wounding another 60. The last two
kamikaze’s pressed their attack. One fell to American gunners,
but the surviving enemy plane dropped two bombs that
narrowly missed ‘Big Ben’ before crashing into the stern of
Belleau Wood.
The crew of ‘Big Ben’ had the fires under control in a little over
one hour. She and Belleau Wood sailed to Ulithi Atoll for quick
repairs, temporary only. ‘Big Ben’ then returned stateside to the
Puget Sound Navy Yard, arriving on November 28, 1944 for
major refurbishing. Her commanding officer, Captain James M.
Shoemaker, was relieved of duty and replaced by Captain Leslie
E. Gehres. A strict authoritarian, the new commanding officer’s
dictatorial behavior was unpopular with ‘Big Ben’s’ crew.
By mid-March 1945, ‘Big Ben’ was back in action supporting the
invasion of Okinawa. On March 19, a lone enemy dive bomber
weaved in and out of cloud cover waiting for the opportunity to
inflict the most damage. As ‘Big Ben’ launched a second wave of
BIG BEN’S GUNS ON FIRE
aircraft against Okinawa, the Japanese dive bomber pierced the
cloud cover and headed straight for ‘Big Ben.’ The enemy plane
dropped two 500 lb. armor-piercing bombs before the carriers’
anti-aircraft units had time to respond.
The ensuing carnage mimicked Dante’s Inferno. One bomb hit
the carrier dead-center and penetrated through the second and
third deck, knocking out the combat Information Center and air
plotting. The second bomb struck aft (rear of a ship) and tore
through two decks. Topside, 31 armed and fueled Navy aircraft
were warming up for takeoff. These planes immediately caught
fire. Loaded with roughly 15 tons of high explosives, the bombs
and rockets aboard these aircraft detonated one by one, akin
to falling and flaming dominos. Vought F4U Corsairs were
loaded with “Tiny Tim” air to surface missiles. Due to the well-
known nose-up configuration of a Corsair, most of “Tiny Tim”
rockets thankfully flew overboard when their engines fired.
Below, in the hanger deck, 21 aircraft were fueled, five of which
were armed. The forward fuel system had been secured, but the
aft fuel system was open and still in use. The penetrating 500 lb.
bomb ignited the armed aircraft which was followed by a
devastating gasoline vapor explosion. Unlike the “Tiny Tim”
rockets on the flight deck, the “Tiny Tim’s” below deck had no
place to go. They ricocheted around the enclosed hangar deck
until their 500 lb. warheads detonated. Only two hangar-deck
crewmembers survived the inferno.
The engineering spaces were quickly evacuated as dense black
smoke filled the area. ‘Big Ben’ was soon dead in the water as
raging fires virtually boiled the carrier. Radio communications
were naught. Captain Gehres order the magazines flooded to
save the ship, but all the water mains had been destroyed. A
gathering of ships sought to save the remaining crew. Cruisers
Pittsburgh and Santa Fe with destroyers Miller, Hickox, Hunt, and
Marshall left the task force to assist ‘Big Ben.’ A flaming wreck,
suggestions were made to Captain Gehres to abandon ship. He
refused, knowing many sailors were still alive below deck.
Other destroyers fell in astern of ‘Big Ben’ to rescue men who
had jumped or been blown overboard. Other destroyers put
their bows against the side of ‘Big Ben’ to allow trapped men a
bridge to relative safety. Albeit, hundreds of enlisted men and
their officers remained aboard the flaming carrier and actually
saved ‘Big Ben’ from sinking.
Chaplain O’Callahan administering last rites
One of the carrier’s surgeons, LCDR George W. Fox, MD, lost his
life while tending to wounded crewmembers. He was awarded
the Navy Cross posthumously. The carrier’s Catholic chaplain,
Lt. Commander Joseph T. O’Callahan, administered last rites to
dying sailors plus organized fire-fighting and rescue crews to go
below deck to fight the fires and save souls. Catholic chaplain
O’Callahan was awarded the Medal of Honor. Another Medal
of Honor recipient, Lt Junior Grade Donald A. Gary, discovered
300 men trapped in the mess (chow hall) compartment and led
them by groups to safety. He then organized a fire-fighting unit
to fight the hangar deck fires and eventually entered Number 3
fireroom and obtained steam on one boiler.
The list of heroes and their courageous actions are too long to
mention, but by the end of day 21 additional Navy Crosses and
26 Silver Stars were earned by very brave men. Among these
were Navy Crosses to the commanders of the cruiser Santa Fe
AWAITING RESCUE
and destroyer Miller. A Navy Cross went to Lt. Fred R. Harris, a
‘Big Ben’ flight deck officer and member of Texas Legislature
before and after the war. A Silver Star was earned by the other
ship’s chaplain, Lt. Grimes W. Gatlin, a Methodist minister.
‘Big Ben’s’ survival was still in question. She had a heavy list, an
inferno still rage; men kept fighting, kept dying, kept the carrier
afloat. The cruiser Pittsburgh towed ‘Big Ben’ for the remaining
daylight hours. Unbelievably, within six hours the heroic effort
of fire-fighters gave ‘Big Ben’ a new lease on life. Men returned
to the ship, got her underway, and she sailed on her own with
only two of the four propellers driving her scorched hull.
After receiving emergency repairs at Ulithi Atoll, ‘Big Ben’ sailed
to Pearl Harbor for temporary repairs before returning to home
for major repair at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As a side note: At
Pearl Harbor a civilian harbor pilot, per set procedures, would
come aboard carriers to help navigate the large vessels to the
dock. Captain Gehres refused the assistance, stating he would
‘take her in’ himself. He maneuvered ‘Big Ben’ into the dock area
too fast and crashed into the assigned dock. He blamed mooring
details for the accident.
‘Big Ben’ was eventually restored to good condition and was
available for post-war service. She never sailed again. In the
end, the carrier that suffered the most damage and highest
casualty rate of any carrier to survive WWII was sold for scrap to
the Portsmouth Salvage Company on July 27, 1966. Sailing on
her last voyage, were the ghosts of 807 sailors. During the
inferno, approximately 500 sailors were wounded.
SOME OF THE BATTLE DAMAGE
In Part One of ‘Tale of Two Carriers’ I mention the unofficial
motto of the US Navy, “Non Sibi Sed Patriae” – ‘Not for self, but
for country.’ The US Navy’s official motto, “Semper Fortis” –
‘Always Courageous’, certainly applies to the courageous men of
‘Big Ben’ – the USS Franklin.
“I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who
may be asked in this century what he did to make his life
worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and
satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.’”
- President John Kennedy and WWII skipper of PT-109 -
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