Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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age Control was abandoned. llollincr located an escape trunk which led up to the third deck and helped the men through it, to join the fire-lighting parties forward. lfilCt.'ll'li'l2.llliH male Zeller went up through the hatches. carefully closing each of them behind himwan invaluable service. because it ki-pt tire from the main magazines. located below. Groups of men like Shiplitter lfirst tllass llurd fought fire amidships until their rescue breathers were exhausted. then made their way to the side of the hangar deck and dropped into the water. Hurd had been in the after mess hall when the bombs hit. He broke out a fire hose and wet three hun- dred rockets. rendering them harmless. Then, with rescue breather. he collected and led at least sixty men back to the fantail. Wihen he went back to look for others he found himself trapped by new explosions aft, forcing him to locate an- other escape route. This time he was forced to the hangar deck. where he leaped over the side. For hve hours he floated in the cold water on a raft with Chief Tony Hungaro, sea- man Dennis Kolek, and shipfitter Kirkman, before being picked up by the carrier Hornet of another task group. Many a man like Burd did his valiant deed before he was overwhelmed in the elemental forces of the catastrophe. or was lion-eil ouri' tin' A-iflf-. 'lhii ninnbr-1 ol lil-rote will timer bi- known. With a group on Ihr' liantail, fir-ntry. cliiel boatsmairiis mate. ki-pt all hands lighting lirff until a sf-rif-s of xiolfrnt fr-X. plosionsof'Cl1l'l'er,l.'llliev put Iilf1jafAl4+-i.-- on the wonnrtfgrl ann lowered thein in the water before dropping in tlierri.-f-l'.'es. SCHUIEUI lied Skelton. a gunner, and his buddy were standing side by side. An explosion blew his buddy to liiis and catapulted Skelton into the water. Homer f.ecil. stand- ing in his unlaced shoes, was blown completely out of them and into the sea. Lt. Fitzgerald. assistant engineering oflicer. and dozens of men in separate groups, made their way tr, the safety of the fantail, only to be forced off. Qhief petty ollicers Austin, Sheppard, Gregg, Battickeg seaman liusso. private Kane, barber Antanasoff . . . their number will never be known. Yeoman Brown and Cavello leaped into the wa- ter together. Cavello, who could not swim. had no life jacket. His comrade, Brown, gave him his. Brown was not rescued. And Gunnery sergeant Truax, who, with a handful of Kla- rines, had manned the guns on the fantail to the last, handed his life jacket to a young seaman who could not swim. The sergeant was missing in action. Now. at I-l:f'lU. amid destruction and confusion. Xumber rv-.N :inlet Xx fl -9 f1'PllHfy' ll'0lLIll'fl.'f1 mfuz. is lowered fo destroyer 1'lliCfiTO.1T from fflllfftllif . . . ffzwrvi' TIIHII on this sfufrou rms jorwfl off ship by flnnrws nm! f'.l'llIUSI.UIIS

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C.Q...fhn.- i-n patient. struggled through wreckage to a nearby repair lot-ken, donned a resent' lneatlier, and with an enieruent-' . l entting onttit was preparing to lwnrn an escape hole in the starlwoa rd side ot' the ship when a blast more terrilie than the others took his lille. lliliree days liner. when search parties made their way down and pumped the water from the blackened. llooded prissageways. the ninte evidence of the gallant. futile tight met their sad ewes. llr. George lfox. and his t'tll'llSl11Cll. calm in death. lay beside the men they had served. Nlen with rescue breathers: Dr. Smith, Lt. Bill J. Xlvhite, hleetrieian llhilipps. Klaehinists Mates Gugliemo. Lapore, lleallister. lliellman. Greitner and others. were stumbling through the heavy smoke on the third deck, hauling un- conscious men from the engineering spaces. They worked for hours and routed at least thirty men safely forward, through a hatch near the deck-edge elevator which had been cleared by Machinist lfde. Lt. Donald A. Gary, who had been violently shaken by the first explosions, seized a rescue breather and started forward from his Repair Party battle station toward the source of the smoke. He found, after mak- ing his way through two shattered compartments, that a solid wall of fire sealed off his path. Smoke growing worse by the minute. he made his way back to the mess hall amidships on the third deck. passing hundreds of rockets and bombs al- ready assembled for use that day and needing only a single explosion to set them all off in a monumental blast. At- tracted by his light dozens of men commenced to gather in , , . hh has ui ...f fill!.fiT.lI..,.!1-m.SH..!i5'v5 337' . ...., .....unn.q... the mess hall. As the compartment hllcd, the doors were dogged down to keep out smoke and opened as others ar- rived. l ive minutes later there was not room to sit down. when the doors were closed for the last time nearly 300 men were trapped in that small compartment. Unexploded bombs, with the hre sweeping nearer, were forwardg aft, a wall of lire blocked olf all escape. As mighty explosions shook the ship men realized their mortal peril and panic shook them. Dr. Fuelling, who was working over a seriously wounded man. calmly addressed them. He told them to rest quietly and conserve the limited supply of air and to prayg he led them in prayer. In the dim light of battle lanterns which would not pene- trate the heavy gray smoke, trapped by hre in a compart- ment beside hundreds of live bombs. men prayed-many for the first time in their lives ve while others read aloud from prayer books. Buried in a compartment near the keel of the ship was the Central Damage Control Station. After the explosions be- gan, the lights flashed red-showing all main magazines to be on fire, erroneously, due to damaged wiring. All commu- nications were out except with the forward repair party, as Lt. Billington, who was on the scene a few moments after the hit, soon discovered. Veteran Chief Electrician Hoffner stood by the boards, clearing damaged circuits by switching them open, while the damage control man fought to contact the repair parties. Wlhen the ship began to list badly and smoke poured in, with all communications out, Central Dam- tv. v , , - ,F -,, . 3 Q .Wy If , , - ' .m mf 4 . f ' t . : ! ,: a 1' .JA-,tw-V 1 f risks. , V 1. , , , V ' .i, ., - ', ,M - !',s.iJf 1 'i ' - , . f . fifvi - - ' n n t l I 4,4 wif . ' A, t m H'4Iff.,1',wf is . ,. -Q7 . ,, ,. .,,.. .. ., ,. ing, . . A. V I f f - .K -- J..--Mfg .,, -, lst ' 'tfivsv 5 The fllzlffl guns on.: Hn: prirlius uwrk into jlrunesg nivn 1111114110 line to Sanitrz Fe

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U111'l'111't1'.1l11h1'!1l ont -1l 1-11111111-sioll. lttiltlllif only ilu' Iwo ,lllltt llllliltltllllx and the .1ll1'1 Vllgfklllt' ltbtllll op1'r11lix1'. l.t. X1!1. l ns. llltlxtl, lns lI.1xl11,NI.1.In1ns1 l,llNltQll.Qlll1llllt'll lllguk Cane 111111 vonld not lmna on 1nn1'h l11n3:1-r, Sllltjlet' was EHUNSLIIQ i11lole1'11l1l1- :ind only il llillltllilll ol' 1'1's1'111' l1l't'lllllt'l'N neu' 11x.1il.1l1le. llaylvr and lfnsign, ol the lllll4'l' 1 . . . 111111111 time lttlllg lu ltlttl Kx5klQlllKl l'1111l1's l111' llllt 1111111 I11-Inu, l ns. l11ek1'1'l1:11l l11'1'n sent lo ilu-1l1n-.l 111---k l11Lls1'1'l'lt1lll the extent ot daiiiage to the llflllllxtli l.l. Xrlx 1-ollapst-tl and inu- Vltlltlali- tnate set-oiul vlass Noll look Vlltllitlt' of the forward plant. kitlltldlll Celnes. inhvrnietl ol' the tlt'SllL'l't1lt' plight ol' the men ltelow, Ul'tl0l'lttl the lhroltles set at eight knots and the engine rooin ailvainlolied. when they 1-011111 no longer he Itttittlttttl. hut the tirerooins never received the order. lihe smoke tortured. agonized crews 1-limlned the ladders and so1nel1ow fought their way forward. The last word on the tirerooin speaker was: Will someone with a breather repott to forward engine room. Trapped . . Lt. li. li. White and Lt. liostain made their way forward and rescued Xott and the three remaining engineers in the Ii01'Xx3l'tl enginerooni. Baker. maehinist's mate second class, set the after engine room controls at eight knots. lint water tenders Barry and Reese. in charge of the after . 1 . . , , 1 l11'1'1'o11111s, elnl not lm-alum Ihosv hrs-ea Inul I11 ln' lf5Iltlt'tl at all 1'-vsls. .lllI1'Y bl2ly1'll nnlil ilu- end., their ship listing heavily, all t'1llllIIllllIlf'.llllbllt- out and s11u1kel1lo1'ki11g vision, keeping their t'l't'XtS at their posts 11nlil 9:30, wlivn the hoilers lost lt-1-1l water sn1'tion and lllt'l't' was no further need to remain. llllIl'lI. and only then. 1li1l they fight their way upward. lharry and his nu-n. Hllltlllyn Codle-ski. fllill' l'l21l'lUPl'. .limmy tlollnni. M'Slltll'lyM Wilson, and 'l'inyM llials, came out on the hangar deck and were foreecl to leap over the side. lleese and his crew, Don lllellae, 'Vl'e11dy Doll, HHl1f'lCu l,llIt'lillt'I', and Jim Harris, made their way forward. Cunner Stoops made a painstaking effort to flood the main magazines. Hundreds of tons of explosives, in the bowels of the ship, must he covered with water. He Carefully turned the valves but-though this was not learned until long after - the water mains were ruptured and the ammunition remained dry. When the flliller cleared the side with Admiral Davison and his staff at ahout t1:3tl, the Santa Fee was signalled to come alongside. Captain Harold C. Fitz, a brave commander, asked only one question l'Are your magazines flooded? Back Came the answer from Captain Cehres: Ml have or- dered them llooded and helieve they arefi 51111111 Fe Came . , - U f-'ff 1 V . , s ' ' 1 1 -1 1 -' ' 1 P111 1111111 1111 ilu' l1'f f1l11'1'1s'f 1. ,,,.1,,., ,',,1,.,,1, U l1,,!l11!11111. flfflllffllll 11111111g11111,v,111l1111111.sl1r.s111111111 111l1f11111 lo I1 111111 nf f s 1 no 1.1