Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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i we iioininandt-it had sent his last inessage to the liome- fit n, Mere wal ing Ilirongli tlie stratospliere over tlie lvattered title- nt tlie .lapanewe li-nne islands. tlnee again news reports tl II A I' 'I' E R 'I' E N . . uv multi lmzw' lvfl her there, I glless . . . Hy all the rules they use in .'. J1is gfinn' xlw .vlmzzld tw slffvpirzg now on the liotiorn off the mast Of japan. I lim ,wine pf-pple Joni! f1l'lI'f'I'l' in all the rules . . . Uur lfllllflllllf flifllldf . . . M f 1 W N V 1 r 1 9 A L IHIf HIP IHAI WOULD I BE ini- xiriot S t2XI'll.li tor lim ,lima was sulusidinge e tlie Jap- of tlie mighty task groups of tlie lfiflli lfleet were lacking during one of tlie lirief periods of inactivity that portended dz I expel-l to die lieref' Superllorts. in massive forma- awful Consequences for tlie once-arrogant yellow men. Ilig llen daily expected orders to up anclior and Steam westward, Ilank Speed, to join tlie fleet. Wlitli tlie Philippines r .1f,,w,4f, !,l ',lil1' ly fnllfrfw. ILS Nl. fdlllllllllllllll-llfl Uyivvr. USS l ranklin, .7Vnw'r11Iwr 7111, 194-1, In fum' .3'Utli. 1945

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at 30.000-tori carrier can pitch and roll when she is traveling Z7 at 30 knots through heavy seas. Big Ben was off the Golden Cate at daybreak, February 2nd. Oakland suburbanites, rid- ing trains across the bridge to their work in San Francisco, were given the spectacle of a big llat-top, crew in ranks on deck, proudly steaming under the Oakland bridge. Before noon she was moored by the Naval Air Station in Alamada. Air Group Five, under Comdr. F.. B. Parker, Jr., U. S. N., was welcomed aboard. Some months before it had returned home after a long combat tour and was again on its way to the wars. Instead of Hellcats the pilots of Fighting Five, un- der Lt. Comdr. MacGregor Kilpatrick. llew swift Corsairs. Though the Corsair is somewhat faster than the Hellcat. and its gull wings give it beauty, it is a sore subject among fight- er pilots as to which is the better plane. Torpedo Five, com- manded by Lt. Comdr. Allan C. Edwards. llew Avengers: Bombing Five. under Lt. Comdr. John C. Sheridan. manned Helldivers. Nearly half of Air Group Five's pilots were of the U. S. Marine Corps, the first marine aviators aboard a large carrier for many years. liy the mysterious grapevine among .Navy wives, many were in San Francisco, seorning the scarcity of hotel roorns, for a last goodbye. livery ollicer and man that could he spared was granted shore leave February Oth. 'lhere wa- something fateful about that last eveningg many who lost friends or loved ones on Big lien have spoken ol' an over- powering feeling that these goodbyes were final. Some of the letters written home by men on the ship revealed the same premonition. The next day, February 7th, l92l5, Ffflflfillill and her escorts stood west for Pearl Harbor. ln the Chief Petty Ulliceris quarters. on the third deck. just abaft the sicklray, a traditional ceremony was perform- ed while Big Ben plowed west. Doctor Fox. long an honorary member of the Chief's Mess, and Lt. Philip Hathaway, him- self an ex-chief, with yeorrian Don Forsythe. a press corre- spondent. helped initiate a dozen brand-new chief petty olli- cers. The ceremony ended only when the new chiefs were ready to return to the ranks. Beyond this, it was an unevent- ful crossing, and Franklin arrived in Pearl Harbor on Feli- ruary 12th, 1945. The Men Who Kept Figfrling Squrmlrorz. l ll'lf in. llrr- .ilir r'RoN'r How. i-'noir burr 'ro rnor-rr: B. T. Flanagarr, l'2c. C. Upforr. .Allllllr-g l.. fl. llrllrrrr. l'R.3r-. rf. HQ ,lofmu ,1r7l11.,- C- C- Cffwlvfffz fllOllHC', R- W. lli'r15lcr'et0z'c:, f1fllrltl2C: llw. f.. llllrfrorr. .'l.rll,lllllr'. f. fl. lx'r1orr'lr's. nl.lI.ll2t-5 R. U. Rzrvfrfw. Afllrllflcg SECOND RUW, FROM I.Iilf'T T0 RIGHT: UII'rlCHOll7ll- --R. llw. llogzle. nllfrlllrvg I, Ligfrf. .-lR.lIlr'. lllIA'llUll'l?e --lr'rzlrrro1r'r1: M. Kilpatrick tC.O.l C. C. Kniglrl, lilcg Unlrvnorun.-fUrzlrrzozvrrxlln. J. jolrrrson, ,1,11,1ljt-5 rj. 19. 14,114-3, 4-111.1114-3 'rmrqp Row, rfnorvr r.r1:r-'T TU rrrcnr: j. M. rllcCoZlunr, .f1CNrll, L. C. rllillrfr. Cl'!my1Ig P. I'. lilrry. .A1l,'r2g1l, N. 7'rr-prrefrt-o, A4rfR'I'5 j, ll Y .111-. Coy, .4CrlI, C. 'l'. llrrrrriliorrg I . tflrrisfmrzsorz, .llfffrll

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1 'i'-X 'T' MQ. . 4- l KSA .-iff., l l 1 .4 Corsair takes a 'fwnve-off, as others circle to land firmly in control of American armies, with every major island port in American hands, with the surviving Japanese surrounded in the barren mountain ranges, with Two Jima, only six hundred miles from Tokyo, hloodily collapsing in death, the next move would he close to the main islands of Japan. By the familiar pattern of amphibious warfare it would find the fast carrier forces neutralizing the air bases of Japan proper, followed by a terrific fleet bombardment of the next doomed stronghold. Then the Marine and Army di- visions would pour ashore, under an umbrella of sea-borne airpower. Every flattop in the fleet would be needed! The expected orders did not come immediately. There would be three weeks of operation in the Hawaiian area to further qualify the fliers of Air Group Five in carrier land- ings, as well as the pilots of another group, Air Group 87., Those weeks passed swiftly. The airmen trained hard, much as the pilots of Air Group Thirteen had trained here nearly a 'ear before' da landings niffht landings, simulated at- y 7 Y D 7 D Q, tacks, formation Hying. During the days Franklin practiced vigorously with her guns, with damage control problems, first aid drills, physical exercises to put the men in peak condition. Every man now knew the seriousness of combat and the importance of striv- ing for high battle efheiency. Comdr. Taylor and Captain Gehres frequently addressed the crew at quarters, instilling the determination to make Big Ben the best and toughest ship in the fleet. As the refresher training ended, the painstaking care with which the Navy and its oflicers strive to be forehanded and provide for every possible contingency was impressed upon everyone. The productivity of Ameriea's assembly lines was making itself felt on the fighting front: accessories that men once counted as luxuries were conmionplace. livery man had a sheath knife, life jacket with pin-on lamp. gas mask, steel