Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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Lt. Comdr. Greene. Lts. Gary, White. Ellis, and Tiara, Ma- chinists Macomber and Green were the first men to struggle past the still blazing compartments on the third deck and gain entry to the forward auxiliary room and Number One Fireroom. While the electrical officers. Tiara and Ellis, aided by electrician ' s mates Lindberg and Valloni. attempted lo bring lights and ventilation to the spaces, Macomber and Green, with machinist ' s mates Gillis. Klieber and Heck, in- vestigated the forward firerooms and engineroom. Lt. Comdr. Greene set up headquarters in the warrant officer ' s mess — the closest spot to the engine spaces that men could live without masks — and directed operations with experi- ence born of fifteen years naval service, much of it below decks. The electricians found the forward emergency diesel still running. Expertly they disconnected all damaged circuits from the main distribution board, then connected the diesel- driven generator to the panel. Lights flashed on in some of the smoky spaces. Ventilators commenced spinning, though it was still so hot that men gasped for breath. In the evap- orator compartment, beneath the generator platform, on which six men lay dead, seven others were trapped with their faces in the bilges that they might breathe. Lt. Gary, in charge of the space, wearing a mask, finally made his way through and assured these men, now trapped for five hours and believing the ship abandoned, that he would get them out when the fires that blocked escape had been brought under control. It was 5:00 p.m. when they breathed their (irst fresh air after ten hours of hell. At 2:30 p.m. another Japanese plane came roaring in to attack but he was driven off by anti-aircraft fire and the patrol shot him down several miles away. By 5:00 p.m. Lt. Comdr. Greene knew it would be impossible to get the for- ward engines working, since Number One and Number Two firerooms were hopelessly damaged. The boilers of Number One were flooded with salt water and the uptakes of both firerooms were damaged by explosions. The only hope was to get the after engines steaming from Firerooms Three and Four. By 6:30 the electrical gang had penetrated aft and were sweating to get power to these spaces. By seven p.m. they iiad succeeded and, as the fires had been brought under control, it was possible to go anywhere on the third deck. By 9:00 p.m. Lt. Gary, ' Pop ' Turner, Speedy Brumfield, R, Barry, Chubby Scott, Heck and Machinist Green were at work lightino; off Boiler Five in Fireroom Number Three. Sania Fe ' s guns are trained into the sky as alerts continue; Franklin suninirs rest an lirr deck

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back — thank Donald Gary and Doctor Fuelling for saving their lives. The list of the ship was now nearly sixteen degrees, Comdr. Jurika coolly recorded, as he maintained his post on the liridgf uilli the cajjtain. the odicer of the deck, Melvin Tappcn, ami tlie l ridge force. Lt. Comdr. Kramer, the coni- iiuinicalion olhcer, had a ])ortable radio operating on the flight deck, assisted by Technician Stone, Radio Electrician Modeen. and Lt. ( lose. Reports of radar warnings of enemy planes were coming in. Lt. Comdr. Robert Dowries Damage Control l)c|iartnient, thoiigli its ranks were shattered, fought fires, labored to keep pressure on the water mains by closing off ruptured branches. They were assisted by the engineers. All water for lire-fighting now came from a tiny diesel pump forward, which machinist ' s mate, Al Collins had started at his battle station and tended all morning. One of the Santa Fe ' s hoses, stretched to the Franklin, was ruptured by fragments of debris, thrown up in an explosion. ' ithout hesitation, sea- man George S. Smith crawled into the dangerous gap be- tween the great steel sides of the two warships and replaced the damaged section. The fight went on. At noon Captain Gehres conferred with the engineering officer. Lt. Comdr. Greene, and procured three additional rescue breathers from the Sania Fe. for an attempt to get back to the engineering spaces. Until this time it had been impossible, due to fires and smoke, but now the explosions were diminishing in violence and the hangar deck fires were being JirouHht under control. If the engineers could set the screws turning there might yet be hope for Big Ben — if the Japs didn ' t get her first. Nearly eight hundred men were on the Santa Fc by 12:. ' 50; hardly that many remained aboard the Franklin. Cajjtain Gehres ordered the cruiser to clear the side, but not before the Santa Fc had furnished invaluable aid to liig Hen by assisting in getting her under tow, using the powerful winches on the cruiser ' s foes ' ! to pull the line aboard from the J ' iltsliiir . Thirty sweating steward s mates and forty sailors, under Boatswain Frisbee. were hel])ing ( omdr. Tay- lor u ilh this operation. Hardly had the cruiser cleared the side than the long ex- pected Japanese attack came. Just before 1 :()() p.m. a Judy bomber sli|)|)ed past the combat air patrol and came in on a fast glide-in run. headed straight for Big Ben. Franklin ' s remaining guns fired desperately; the ships of the screen opened up their batteries. His bomb drop])ed. a big one, that exploded short on the starboard quarter. 200 yards away. The combat air patrol shot down that Jap in sight of the screen. The towing line was finally connected: Chief Carpenter Eddins and shipfitter Locke had cut loose one of Franklin ' s anchors with the last acetylene on the ship and ninety fathoms — 540 feet — of heavy chain was paid out to the Pittsburg with a two-inch steel hawser on the end. Shortly after 2:00 p.m. the I ' ittshuri!, succeeded in gell ' m Franklin underway and headed south, at three and one-half knots — at that rate Big Ben would be a landmark in Japanese waters for a week to come. But the engineers were working, under the direction of One III till- Iniuilrcds nj uinuidcil: Srnninn Jac I ' l ' nniniilan. in ihr Santa Fc . sickliay

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The after enjiinerddm a|)|)care(l iiilact and I.ls. Swansoii and Wliite, assisted liy yeoman Kidwell and several ma- chinist ' s mates, lit ofl ' when steam pressure was obtained. By niidniiiht. with steam up on one boiler, warming-up of the main enj;ines was commenced. Dozens of engineers resumed their stations and continued the work. By dawn another lioiler was in o])eration and cut in on the main engines. With two shafts doing 56 r.p.m. Big Ben was going ahead six knots, but still under tow, and about 85 miles from Japan. It had been a rough night. The first food in nearly twelve hours was served to the men on the focs ' l at dark. One slice of bread and tinned sausage with a little water to wash it down, but to all hands it was manna. After dark the Japs were again out in force, dropping flares on the horizon, evidently looking for Big Ben. Instead, they encountered other task groups, and a continuous battle was fought all night, ten miles away. Forty Japanese planes were shot down by ships and night fighters. Between the fires that in- termittently broke out, a muster was held and 75 officers and 200 men were found fit for duty. However, at this time, many were away on fire parties, or below decks, and could not be counted. It was im|)erative that the fires be kept under control. Any light from the ship and the Japanese bombers, oidy ten miles away, would write a quick end to the story. Parties under Lts. Red Morgan, Gordon Hassig. Lewis Davis, Bob Thayer, and many others, fought the smoldering embers. Twice destroyers from the screen were alongside to assist. The Millar drew up at M:(X) p.m.; at midnight the destroyer Bullard ])ulled close to the fantail and fought for two hours against a particularly stubborn fire. One lad of the ship, directing destroyer ' s hose from a dangerous perch on a jagged, out-thrust strip of metal, was unable to regain the deck until morning. During the day hundreds had distinguished themselves. Nearly every man aboard had contributed something; toss- ing away hot ammunition; hanging on to fire hoses; help- ing wounded comrades to safety; working on the tow lines; starting the engines; serving food and water. Doctors Sher- man. Smith, and Fuelling had labored tirelessly. Chaplain OCallahan had earned the respect and admiration of every man by his fearless conduct, a vital spark that kept men go- ing on when they felt like lying down to die. By dawn. March 20th. o5 miles from the coast of Shikoku, the captain ' s bulletin Ijoard had a cheering message: We are under our own power and will be making fifteen knots Fires still burn ajt as men jettison a cluirred plane, clearing a path through the luingar deck spaces