Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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. - W--Y .- ,. 1-un 1--1 '--- ----- ffvgr 11:-fr -- !F5'wl-75- .'.'. Y' ...Mm ...... 0 .,:i-ii 1 .,.1,,7-li. iv.-A-I-M .4 A v 1 -- zf.::r:1f'. F-7-if '.1.-zz -:':::::a.:::...l!'--Q .fflff 1 ' Q - ' ,: ' l S 1 'Z A Helldiver, a split second before it crashed rims. pulling out of their daring dives, it seemed, just be- fore they crashed on the deck. There was shore leave and every man had his day. The men had swimming from the white beaches of Scotland Bay and they could play at baseball, volleyball, football. There were cocoanut trees, too, for the men who cared to climb. But cocoanut trees have rough bark, as Yogi,' McMullen, piccolo-loving seaman, discovered when a frond snapped at the top of a tall one and he landed on every wrinkle going down. -.. .-..., .. . , , .- ,,v.,,. ......, ,-.,,,W, .,,-,,V,,... ,dir Group 7',liI'll'f'f1,7.S ffnrrtrrtumlwre- fffomdr. ff. ff. 66 ' ' 99 Sunshine llozwrlrur The restricted zones of Port of Spain led many a curious lad to venture forth in search of some justification for the Navy's taboos. Radiomen Frank Wickers and Johnny Bas- ham were among those who found themselves struggling in the web of jungle violence. When rescue came they were whisked away by Shore Patrol in the Navy's own Black Maria. Some, like Ron Noyes, were typical American tourists and brought home the full quota of carved horn ash trays and pillow souvenirs. Others, like ulinxw Dizek, missed the spirit of things. 'gJinx brought back a heavy fever, which later developed into measles. The first few days of the shakedown, however, were dis- appointing. Plane after plane would take off, roar down the flight deck, then tumble into the water or spin away to one side and crash in the sea near the ship. Mechanics sweated into the night, civilian experts ate and slept with the problem-when they slept at all. No one had been in- jured yet, the water was warm and a crash-boat from the destroyers was always on hand. Yet it gave every man on Big Ben a bitter sinking feeling to see those huge, beautiful machines go thundering up the deck, so seemingly full of power, then veer and crash into the ocean. They were not loaded, what would happen when they had to carry a ton of bombs? After several days, when the fourteenth plane, and the third in a row, had staggered off the end of the flight deck to circle wildly then crash and sink in a welter of foam, the Air Officer roared on the speakers: HFlight quarters cancelled! Conferences were held. Capt. Shoemaker, Comdr. Day, the Air Group Commander, C. C. '4Sunshine,' Howerton, the civilian technicians and mechanics struggled with the prob- 79 lem. There was no one simple explanation. The planes were older models with three-bladed props instead of the i a s if 4 L lv .lj Jans- Tj if. :Ir gr it if fa ii EL a 5 LE 5? it ga it 1. ij. R 1 if 1,- 'af if 1-5 5 ri si L A. if W it lei wi A 15- 1-9- ffiii 77-339- I. 'Rin-'EVWFQE W l iv

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CHAPTER THREE . . . We liacl some great times, loo. Scollancl Beach . . . Porl of Spain . . . there were some real guys in that olcl clifvision . . . H SHAKEDQW WITH A FAREWI-:LL BLAST of her whistle to Cape Henryis fading shoreline Big Ben and her escorting destroyers, the Wainwright and the Rhind, stood south on March 20th. 1944, bound for Trinidad, in the British West Indies-and the shakedown cruise. As the weather warmed, Big Ben and her crew stretched themselves. Divisions came to morning quarters in whites. less blouses. Men took on a tan. The Bosin, Mr. Spiewak. became more conscious of unsightly blemishes on Big Ben's skin and the boatswainis mates, with their divisions, set about remedying winter's stain. The din of chipping ham- mers, wire brushers and scrapers echoed endlessly about the decks. The Gulf of Paria is a large, landlocked arm of the South Atlantic between the island of Trinidad and the main land of South America. It has two entrances, the northern called the MSerpent's Mouth, the southern named HDragon7s Mouth. It was into the channel of the Serpentis Mouth that the little group of warships steamed on March 24th, shad- owed by the mighty bulk of Big Ben. They anchored off the U. S. Naval Air Station. For nearly a month in the calm waters of this warm sea Franklin and her destroyers ca- reened through practice missions during the day, anchor- ing at night behind the safety of the port's submarine nets. Shakedown cruise . . . It gives the captain of a new ship the opportunity to weave the men and the departments into one fighting unit, before taking her into battle. There was gunnery practice. At five miles, with five- inchers, at two miles with 40 mm. guns, at one mile with forty-six high-speed 20 mm. machine guns+every conceiv- able target situation was practiced for use in the combat that men knew was on the way when these quiet waters and planned maneuvers were left in Big Ben's wake. And the Air Department filled the air. Here it was that the men of Big Ben fastened their devotion on the planes which were their pride and joy. They strained their eyes and their hearts watching the fighters in the preparatory burst-and the bomb-toting Helldivers and the torpedo- lugging Avengers as they flashed down in screaming dives from every corner of the tropical sky. The attacks were simulated, but in deadly earnest, on the destroyer-towed targets. There were mock battles, using Big Ben's Hellcat Hghters, under Lt. Comdr. W. M. '6Wild Bill Coleman, to intercept Lr. Comdr. B. L. Kibbe's Helldivers and Lr. Comdr. Carry Frenchis Avengers. Desperate battles, radar and Grummans defending the Franklin, would thunder to a conclusion, far out at sea. When the last 'cenemyi' had been 'fsplashedf' Big Ben's defenses would relax and the attackers would come whipping in for the kill. Torpedo planes. skimming low over the blue water, would flick from side to side at a terrifying 300 knots to avoid imaginary AA and then roar over the Franklin's decks. Dive-bombers plunging from the skytop, grew by the split-second from insignificant specks into hurtling monsters that would fill a gunsight to the Xa l'larm-puislzers jolzl an .'ll't'Ilgt'f-S ll'l-IIEIS. as the flight ilf-t-A' officer signals the pilot

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Ji, ff a'i Miraculously uninjurecl, izfs pilot and gunner escaped . . . the plane sank in 45 seconds newer four-bladed ones. They carried more equipment than design had provided for. The carburetors required re- adjustment to meet tropical flying conditions. Pilot tech- nique was a factor, experienced pilots lost fewer planes. But what was the answer? There were serious talks in the ready rooms that evening: 'fBoys,', said Comdr Howerton, Hfor the last three days we have been putting on the aquatic act lets give them an aerial show' Now this is the way And 1nto the night mechanics toiled feverishly Next morning at flight quarters, a thousand eyes were on the Hrst Helldrver that rolled up to the take off spot Mechs grimy but confident, watched with tired eyes as the big plane went storming up the deck Before it reached the forward elevator the wheels were in the air and she soared up so powerfully the mechanics could have wept for Joy The gunner in the rear seat, anxious a moment before clasped his hands over his head 1n triumph as the Helldrver climbed away Big Ben never lost another plane on a deck take off Sunshine Howerton had been named by sailors Al ways a kind word or understanding smile as he passed the little guy sweating over his bench or straining under his thought he was soft There was the time in Trinidad when he alone of all the fliers had some difficulty in finding his way back to the Franklzn When he finally returned aboard he delivered himself wrathfully of the remark If you can t find the ship boys, just head for the biggest rain cloud you can see Big Ben will be rrffht in the middle of it Throughout the lonff months of combat flyrnff rn the oft times rainy Pacific the pilots of Air Group Thirteen counted this as reliable advice Only one fatal accident occurred during the cruise Dur ing the afternoon of March 31st, Charles Van Camp, 18- year-old ordnanceman, was fatally wounded when the 50- caliber machine guns of the Hellcat he was de-arming acci- dently discharged. He was buried at sea, the first of many who gave their lives at their posts on Big Ben. On the more placid side, it was at Trinidad that the first issues of Hfiadio Press Newsfl six pages a day ungarbled from the static by Radiornan George Jarrett made its ap pearance Edited by Dick Hand and Joe Halle, mlmeo graphed by Chuck Greshko the 600 copies were distributed in the early hours of the morning watch B1 Bens own newspaper, bringing news from home and the world It was prized by the men, the captain had a prix ate copy with his morning coffee And the Franklin Forum, Big Ben s monthly paper, ar rlved through the efforts of Chaplain C A Chamberlain and Chief Printer Blair There are no copies left rn the official files but they are treasured all over the world today rn many scrapbooks It was here, too, as much needed light relief, that the Franklin Frolics were born Nick Kenny s songs Honey boy who was none other than the fabulous Lt Red Har r1s, in blackface Honeyboy Harris was with B10 Ben a reminded men that they too would ruther be home Mrstah Shoemaker Tom Kelly s golden rorce and the old Irish ballads he used to srno they still ring down the hanoar deck rn the er enrnffs So shakedown ended Taps came, clear and sweet, to seaman ind to captain The officer of the deck looked up at the Southern Lross The quartermastcr sounded ewht bells wud ill well B1 Ben hulked huge frnd grim against the dark shrouded horrron D -- 7 M , , , 7, . . . . I . .D . . . I N 7 , . D . , D - g , , . . . , Q C D T . ' L a I ' ' 7 9 . 44 . ,, , . cc 4 - 9 77 7 - 9 . ca '- - . . I 77 V ca I 99 0 7 ' - tg - ,g . . . . , ' - cc 77 - Y ,- - ' o load of bombs, They swore by him, though no one ever long time, but fair weather or stormy, his skeptical thoughts . . . . ' 4 1 Q , - 0 9 9 C 9 i N - . . . . 77 cc 77 9 Y - .- D . e M l N ' ' cf- r r: T :Q . . g . 4, . I . . 5 9 9 ' ' s . Y , . l 0 u 1 u u ,Q I V f . n . D , r , c .. , . c , . D D ' e . s ' 9 C 9' , 33. 3 ' ' , ' ' ' fg It a 's '-. ' ' ' . 'g r on HV: ' I . 1 1 D 1 .V . v- ' I .