Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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big ship heavily to port and the second bomb went off on the starboard side, close aboard, throwing a column of water over the ship and shaking the decks. The third bomb missed the port side twenty feet and before its concussion had subsided the fourth hit the corner of the deck-edge elevator. hurling hot steel and shrapnel in all directions. One Oscar was shot down by Big Ben's battery as he pulled out of his dive while the other went into a dogfight with the patrol. Shrapnel from the hit tore through the gallery deck, the island structure. and the mast. Signalman James Rogers, at his station on the flag bridge, was killed. Lt. tjgj Harmon R. Hudson. of the bomber squadron, and seaman William Taylor were inoitally wounded. Five other men were seri- ously hurt and later died, twenty-seven were injured. Under the direction of Comdr. Smith, Medical Department Head, the casualties were given first aid and the more seri- ously wounded were rushed to the sick bay. Aided by Drs. Fuelling and Fox and by Titus, Vober, Torneby, Mitchell, Mason, of the Medical Staff, all performed prodigiously that day. At least two men would have died had the surgeon's efforts been too little or too late. George Smith, radarman third class, at his battle station, a hundred feet from the hit, had been struck with a piece of shrapnel that tore through the half-inch steel bulkhead before completely piercing his side. Dr. Fox, without hesitation, working through the rag- ged hole in the man's side, removed several feet of riddled intestines, joined the ends which the damaged section had bridged, cleaned and stitched the wound. Within two weeks George Smith was back on watch, proud of his Purple Heart. Lt. Hoy, a torpedo plane pilot, struck in the temple and in the spine with shrapnel, lay dying on his cot in the quiet room that night. Three large blood clots were forming on his brain, beneath the shattered bone. Dr. Fox, who de- claimed knowledge of uanything from the neck up, watched the agonized man for five hours when he could take time from the dozens of wounded in the nearby sick bay. Then, when it seemed as though Lt. Hoy had breathed his last, Dr. Fox reached a decision. lnto the ship's operating room the pilot was wheeled by anxious pharmacist's mates. Instead of anesthesia an oxygen mask was used to keep the wounded man alive. For two hours the doctor labored, cutting through the damaged bone, removing the deadly clots which he had known must be there, then replacing the trepanned section. Lt. Hoy was alive two weeks later and transferred to a hos- pital ship, with a fighting chance for recovery. Fortunately the bomb hit had not knocked the flight deck out of commission. The deck edge elevator could be re- paired by Comdr. LeFavour,s shipfitters and Lt. Comdr. Greene's engineers. The bomb-laden strikes would continue to pour off toward the doomed Japs on Luzon. During the afternoon two more attacks were thrown at Task Group 38.4. From the northwest 50 Japanese planes appeared on the radars. A few minutes later a large group came into radar range from the southwest. Lt. Comdr. Brun- ing scrambled section after section of Hellcats, and the San Jacinto air patrol was already moving full speed to intercept the enemy groups. Within ten minutes 30 fighters were clos- ing in on the southern group and 20 fighters on the northern formation. In a precise interception at 50 miles the southern Japs were brought to battle. Not a Nip escaped.. Reports from the airmen came through: Splash two Zekesf' Splash an Oscar, MSplasl1 a Betty. The northern group was intercepted at 60 miles while it attempted to execute an encircling maneuver. It fled in panic, Hellcats of the Thirteenth charging in victoriously to knock down a dozen of the Japanese before the formation escaped when American gas ran low. On Big Ben all hands breathed a sigh of relief and grati- tude to the boys of Fighting Thirteen. In CIC Lt. David Al- len, Evaluation Officer, was busy until late that night tabu- lating reports from the other air groups for a final tally of the dayis work. 84 Japanese planes had spun into the water, shattered by American steel. Big Ben's guns had accounted for one and her fighters had shot down 29. The Enterprise air group had knocked down 27, with the remainder going to the smaller airgroups on the San Jacinto and Belleau Wood. Heavy strikes were again launched at the Manila Bay area on October 16th, concentrating on shipping. The Japanese defenders strove desperately to protect the ships which were the life-blood of their Empire. Oscar and Zeke fighters trail- ed returning strikes, hoping to pick off cripples, or circled above the oncoming formations of carrier planes, striving to draw off fighter escorts so that other Zekes could pick off unprotected dive-bombers and torpedo planes. Sometimes this worked and then the gunners in the Avengers and Hell- divers had opportunity to show their mettle. A number of them were credited with shooting down Jap fighters. Yet at day's end the hulks of half-sunken ships dotted the shallow water of Manila Harbor and clouds of smoke poured from the stricken installations. That night 30 of the Enterprise planes striking Manila lost their way in the dusk. They were heard on the radio and finally located, but when they had been directed to the task group it was dark and many had barely enough gas to land aboard. It was urgent to get them down, every carrier in the force advised the Big E that they were ready to commence landing operations. As the tired warbirds came down to the dim-lit flight decks pathetic messages could be heard on the radio: 'This is Beaver Two. Am making water landing. Outf, Gas enough for one more circle. Can you give me a flag, please?7' One Helldiver, blinded in the darkness, fiew full into the side of the Belleair Wood and exploded. Half a dozen others crashed in the sea and the indefatigable de- stroyers commenced searching for survivors. Big Ben took eight planes aboard, the pilots and air- crewmen stumbled out, exhausted. It had been trying for all hands while those big black planes were bumping down on the flight deck in the dark. The Big E was grateful: We thank you for your prompt response to emergency Wednes- day night. Your close cooperation much appreciated? On the next day occurred another incident that might have had tragic consequences. Lt. J. B. Johnny', Johnson, of Fighting Thirteenth, was wounded over the target and the landing gear of his Hellcat so badly damaged that it could not be lowered. He came back with his strike, barely enough gas to make the ship, and requested permission to make a crash landing on deck. Admiral Davison, knowing that might