Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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.411 Avenger takes a wave-0 sa erlg the fueling rlepot f-onlfl llll fi, ll'i ll' oil lfml.-. mofelem Ijiflflj wt-rg flank'-rl hy wuwzlmott-,f:s, on tllf' lPltlLflf'i- fzflgff. A lingo rer:rez,tI,lo1l park wire, fxtaiting lor lla: l'llf'!l ol rlaf' llerft, and the lifzffr ration x-.fra lirnitf:f,l only ily tllf- liar liozxr- allowod to ooneume it. Saxif: ljowellla lianfel, at home under the eucalyptus trees and alien eky, made rriarlg' nf' lrseml, as liig ljenis men minglerl with ladf from other flop: 'o map yarns ol' luattle, meet old slllpmatffe, talk ol' home. There were odd reunionseelot. ljgy .loe lleimloll, one-time Bronx cop, of lfighting Tliirteen, met two lliele from other Squadrons and in exchanging rerninisoeneef learnf'fl that ol the twenty-live fledgling pilots who came tllrougli PF4!t5d fOl3 together three years hefore, they were the only ones aliae. The others had smashed up in operational aefglfleiire, or fallen to llak over enemy targets. At Marius, Comdr. Day received a long-due promotion to the rank of Captain and was detached to command a new ee- eort carrier. Comdr. Benjamin Moore, who had heen Xavi- gator since the commissioning, lileeame Executive Ofhoer. Comdr. Day had worked hard to make Big Ben a line ight- ing machineg Comdr. Benny Moore was a litting relief. The L.S.E.-ULittle Short lfxecf' as he came to lie affectionately known, was admired and regarded as a personal friend hy r Here too, llierv Il'fl.S' time for II' few quiet lIl1OIIlt'lIfS in the Ifhrtrrv

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1' CHAPTER SEVEN . . . tlze-sire gootl. alright. but not good erzoughg we took everything they could throw at us, then threu' it right larch. 1 heard Pee Ceo Minhten say the Coral Sea scrap seemed like a one-ring CI-I't'llS to him now. We had some. more prisoners aboardg crew of a bomber we shot clown. Une of them junzpeal orer the sale. but swznzmzng was nzighty poor that clay. I clonit know, but when I look at this gang I nz with I u'oulcln't trade them for all the ubanzaii' boys in the world. Iicl 3 hate to be on the other side . . . 3 l THE PHILIPPI S SEXDLER BAY. named after the German raider of World War I. is on the large island of Manus. in the Admiralties, and is one of the best harbors in the world. Big Ben, with the warships of Task Group 38.4. anchored there four days. Every moment was used to advantage, taking aboard fuel. food. and a cargo of explosive consigned to the Japanese. This was September, 1944, and Manus was being develop- ed into a springboard for the battle-hardened divisions of MacArthuris Sixth Army, a base for amphibious assault. A floating drydock and repair shop that could make emer- gency repairs to the largest warship were ready for service. The base hospital would accommodate ten thousand wound- 1llIN1,'n,r.S RUN ,hw mllwl it D . , ,llunus llarbor, with six big lfssrnr class flaftops f1l1ClI0fvd there

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-,.-,--.-vxnvv tv-W--W f Y - 1 1-11111 111.111 1111 11111 ship. t111111l1. ll.1l1' 111111 l11-1'411111- tht- IIQIXI Elttlwl. S1-ptt-111l11'1 Qtlh, ltlll, lit'ill X1l11111:1l llzlxisoiiis lash .-1111111 1111t1f111.-11.1111tliif-411111111111-111.l1- set llNt'1HllM'l11llll' F . 5 9 - imillixwst tttttl lht' llillittl ggroiip. lilithi and tht- lti-1 ti111'11li111- islands had l41ll1'11, 1l111113gl1 llllllllllfill ,laps still hung 1111 :il l1l,1.11lx livlvlittii. lihv stage M114 st-1 lor Ll mighty S1'l'Ill' ill the l'11t1ili1' tlllltllil. l'l1ro11gl1 111111111-. like the xoit-11 ol. lltlllltt. l111t'lt11ye1'll11'l1l11111ly xvars itttfll tl.11'l1 liilliliilt. il ltnell Sttt1llllt'll lor tht' l1'Cl1t'lllQ'l't1llS, 1'11111l .l.1lH1111's1': l shrill l'0ltll'It . . :X xision ol' l11':11'1l0tl. 11112111 11111111 111011. stanthiig tlltttllilttl. 1s1't'11tl1e1l 111 the lust grey siiioltc ol' tft111'egitlo1'is guns. spurretl 1111 the LtY1'llglil'S. lf-.1111 1111111 011 iii: lien 11115 proutl to he there for his part i11 the l.il1e1'11ti1111 ot the llhilippines. 'lin 111.1lw seviire the l1e11cl1l1e111ls that would he estahlishetl 1111 l.c11e the third lileet must drive into the strongest hases of the liinpiree einto the jaws of the lieaviest trap the ,laps ctnxld close. Froin llki11awa. on the door-sill of Japan, to poiteitiil lioriiiosa. south through l.11zo11, huiidreds ol' air i-ases 1111151 he crushed i11to helplessness. The Imperial Navy 1111151 he Slltdilttttl if it tried to iiiterfere. - . J V lor a meek 111 the 5to1'111-swept seas east of lalau. lug P 'S . H.-.N 1 ,. ,.. ..,.... . --1 li1'Il.Ntf,lUllIl 111111111-1l il l1'Illlt'lX'lIIlS with1I1111w11111l11f1-sm-111111s 11l'Il11'llll1i1'1l l l1-1-t. l.1111g 1':111g1'1'11t-111y Sl'Ell'l'lI plaiws lltew out lu 11-1-11111111it1'1'. 'llhv 1-11111l1z1t air patrol lu-pt tht- skies wrist-- lt-ssly,1g11111'111g, 1111-11111111-1t1111slIy111g XH'2lllll'l'. Une patrol of ll11'1-1- liglilers II1111 into ll lufavy stplallg two liglilers 1-1111111 lltl'lPlIt!ll. lloptflvssly tht: HL'Zll'f'll plaiies Hf'HlII'l,'tl the area, l111l 1111 trait-1' ol' l,l. Warle ll. Vi'i11e1'oll'. ll l5Ollllll'y hwy liI'1Hlt North lI:11'11li11a1, 1111s ever lltjllltll. . . B .-- . l.l111s111g il haiitht llirongh tht- nnirky night, lit. llc-1111y Miles, ol' Mediiia, N. Y., and his Japanest- quarry siidtlenly tlisappeared lrom the radar sereens while ljll miles to the S0llll1XYCSl, over the stormy, blacked-0111 ocean. Though John Wineger called tirelessly through the static and search planes croinhed the area at dawn, no word was ever heard of night lighter Benny Miles nor of the Jap. Alter a week of this depressing wait orders came to moxe 11o1'tl111'ard. fjll the tail of a typhoon raging toward Formosa and Ukinawa, Admiral Wvilliam Halsey was preparing to take the seven Essex class carriers. the ten light carriers, seven last hattleships, twenty-live Cruisers and a hundred destroyers ol' his Third Fleet into the teeth of Japan's mili- tary might and strike the i1111er bases of the Empire. Nine thoiisand miles from the 'l'hi1'd Fleetis homeland. ill wateis 1 1 f l3q',f1 ,IVV . Y-2. - -.5 -1 rf: -- -els. 1 1111111114 f-1111111111 pfmln from mn' nf liig HVIIHN I'lIllllf'S . . . nkliflflvlltll 5 ' ' 1 ff,',n,,f...-11.-yi . Y... .... 1.1-1.1