Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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

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Captain Shoemaker, left, sadly relinquishes command of Bii; Ben to Captain Gehres (at Microphon-e) Patrol Wing Four. V( itli service in tlie Navy since 1917. a naval aviator since 1927, he had climhed from enlisted rank to command by sheer ability. ' hen o|iportuniiity oflered lie cheerfully gave up his temporary rank of Commodore that he might command the Franklin, hardly a year old — the first skipper to rise from the ranks to the command of a firsl- line carrier. Captain Shoemaker had orders to proceed to the Philip pines whore he would command all aval . ir Bases in the liberated area.