Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 83 text:

C H A P T K K NINE . . . stepped on to the dock and jusl looked at those big, blue mountains. Kopec, the big Slav mech behind me, said it for all of us: leesus, don ' t it look beautiful! ' ... ' ' There teas real milk, and real girls — American girls . . . We were home, just for a liule while, until the navy yard patched us up, but home ... BIG BEN SPENDS CHRISTMAS AT HOME Big Essex class carriers, bearing the brunt of the sea war, were desperately needed in the Tliird Fleet. If repairs to the (light deck could be made by the hull repair ship, Jason, Big Ben could operate for several months before returning to Pearl Harbor or the United States. As soon as the big auxil- iary could get u]) steam she came alongside, bringing dozens of crack repair crews to survey the wreckage, and repair the damage. Captain Lesile E. Gehres reported aboard November 2nd, 1944. In the temporary rank of Commodore he had directed all naval air units in the Aleutian campaign, during two years service in the North Pacific theater, as commander of ■r . 1 -|i|. it: h A:7lf »- ' v The rni.sliiriii K(iniil, i-r suiciilc i)!(i!ir tihisti ' d a hui p crater in the fliiilit deck

Page 82 text:

Fire still smoulders in llw gallery deck . . . Through hole in the flight deck, fire-fighters pour on more water » » » % i - ' 4SUiJ 1 m ■ m ■ - [• i Force of the gasoline explosion wrenched steel doors lower decks were flooded to depth of two feet

Page 84 text:

This was too big a job for the limited repair jacilities ui Ulithi The gunners who manned these badly scorched mounts fired to the last, as the Kamikaze flamed in