Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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ahead of the Enterprise and the Bellean Wood, but the fourth bomber bored in through the flak on Big Benis port quarter. He dropped his torpedo, hedge-hopped Frianklin's bow, and went down in flames between the Franklin and the Enterprise. The torpedo was coming at the Franklin, Hhot, straight, and true. Again teamwork saved Big Ben from dis- aster. With seamanship bred by years of training, Captain Shoemaker ordered '4Right, full rudder and personally rang up Back full on the starboard engines. Far below, in the domain of the Black Gang, the men who 'canswer all bellsw lived up to their names. Big Ben slowed her forward motion and pulled away to the right, away from the on-rushing tor- pedo which passed within a few feet of the bow and con- tinued on harmlessly through the task group. ln the mad five minutes of action Harold L. Stancil, vet- eran aviation machinistis mate, was struck by the plunging Betty and instantly killed. Men on the bridge and gun sta- tions had been struck by some of the hail of flak from guns of the task force, others had been wounded by Japanese ma- chine gun fire. Ten men were hurt badly enough to be taken out of action. M.. ,JA ,- .- . '....,Ms..i. Yet in the midst of danger and tragedy, Big Hens men re- membered it was one year ago to the day, that she was launched. No man had forgotten Captain Slioerriakefs words 'Thirteen is my lucky numherf' though it had not been luck. An alert captain, an efhcient bridge crew, hard- shooting gunners, a faithful Black Gang, had brought Big Ben through her first hand-to-hand encounter with the enemy. There was occasion, too, for a smile. During the first mo- ments of the Jap attack, Lt. Dan Wlinters, landing signal ofhcer, coaching Lt. Pope in to land, glanced up just in time to see the ,lap plane coming in for an entirely different kind of landing. Lt. Winters did what men faced by flaming dragons have done before. He ran. Across the deck he raced, the Japanese bomber in hot pursuit. As he dove for an imaginary foxhole in the flight deck, the low-dipping wing of the Rising Sun plane engaged him in a kiss of death, rip- ping the entire seat from his pants. The exposed anatomy was too much for the Nip. Big Ben's hero muttered a strangled HSplash one as the Betty crashed into the sea. It is said that a collection was made to have the appropriate Japanese Hag tattooed on the conquering posterior, but Lt. ffl-pnnese shipping lzurldlcd in fllalzifa Harbor

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V t i l Se. 1 fu 1 .,. y. -- - fs-Us K ' ' Guns blasting, Big Ben fglnts back . . . October 15171, . . . turning to exact a debt of blood from ,lapanas degenerate soldiery. As the airfields and stations came under the deadly bar- rage, bomber pilots looked gleefully at crowded Manila har- bor, one of the world,s largest-jammed with huddled ,lap- anese shipping. Those ships were doomed. As soon as the airlields and air cover had been shattered the bombers would rain havoc on the crowded harbor with its great piers and warehouses, filled with the loot of an empire. October 15th found Big Ben still hurling knockout punches at the airfield targets. The crew had been at battle stations for hours and enemy planes had been on the screens since dawn. Two had already been shot down by the patrol- and from one of the early strikes Lt. tjgj Frederick A. Beckman, Jr., who was HBeeky to all hands, did not return with his Hellcat and was marked 'missing in action. About ten in the morning, with thirty bombers over Nich- ols Field and thirty more poised to take off, a group of 611' emy planes was discovered closing from the westward, half a dozen patrol hghters on their tail. Three laps broke through. Two Oscar Hghters and one Judy bomber. each with two bombs, flashed into view. They were deadly midges. twenty thousand feet in the air. as they nosed over in their dive. The screen and Big lien opened tire simultaneously with every gun. One of the ,laps dropped his bombs harrnlessly and fled. but the others bored down at the 1 r4znk1in. The first one was n wide miss. Captain Shoemaker swung the