Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 88 text:

f m ' ' t I tmm STANDING if ii. Barney Talbott. Ll. E. J ' . Osborne, Ens. G. Hig iris, Ens. Bill Dorie. Ens. J. M. Robbiris, Lt. Joe Maguire, Ens. Tom Lauton. Lt. ijg) Dick Huxjord. SECOND ROW: Ens. Bob Hungerford, Ens. Jim Carpenter, Ens. J. Kehoe, Ens. John McKinney, Ll. {jgj Joe Stiluill. Lt. (jg) Jim Pope, Lt. Cdr. W. Duke Slater, first row: Lt. Red Harris, Lt. Knute W eidman Maud. Lt. (jg) Bill Parsons Mable, Saxy Dowell young men whose most frequent appearances for months had been on the flight deck or over enemy targets, assisted by funloving Saxie Dowell, brought down the house — a hangar deckful of cheering sailors. ' Uncle Joe himself, with his droll advertisement of a too-well-known brand of tinned meat, his humorous chat- ter; the Gray-Bass Trio — Lts. Bill Dorie. Ozzie Osborne, and Joe Maguire — sang an old favorite with new words: I The W arrant Officers Experts in every department, these men had a lot to do with getting those flags painted on Big Bens island structure

Page 87 text:

selected. Sad groups were standing by the gangway at dusk, their friends around them, waiting for tiie lioals tliat would take them away. One young seaman hid on tlie fantail for hours until the perspiring boatswains mate delivered the unwelcome orders. None wished to leave the ship they had come to love; and on the eve of her possible return to llic States, it was doubly bitter. Recreation jiarties visited the island of Mog Mog. It was at Mog Mog that Franklin ' s men enjoyed their own band, played in the sand, swam, drank their rations of beer and came back to the ship in the evenings, sunburned and re- laxed. The inland was a dot of palm-covered sand in the L lilhi .Atoll, with the thatched houses of its original in- habitants — several hundred South Sea Islanders — still in- tact. The natives had been removed to a larger island for the duration, and rental was paid them for the use of Mog Mog as a recreation area. Twenty-six years after the last gun ceased firing on the Western Front in that earlier World War. November 11th, 1944. Franklin and her two destroyer escorts stood east for Pearl Harbor. The Air Group men were definitely going home. Big Ben might be repaired at Pearl or she might go to a est Coast Navy Yard. The lads of the air squadrons, combat tension relieved. A liherlr on Mog Mog . . . left To RIGHT: Joseph Lafferty. Y2c, tvoundcd 19 March; Chad Howes, Y3c. Charles Eder, Y3c; Roland Dalznuin, YSc, killed in action 19 March enlivened the ship by producing a show. Abetted by that pol- ished master of the touch rococco. ' Lt. (jg) ' ' Uncle Joe Stilwill, of the dour countenance and gay heart, the tanned Accompanied by a staff officer. Admiral illiam Halsey visits Big Ben; Comdr. Moure [right) is chief host

Page 89 text:

wanted wings, until I got the doggoned tilings. Jumbo Watson, the only musician in the world who played a bull fiddle under his chin; Lt. Lawton as a Jap prisoner, cap- tured in a beer barrel at the Mog Mog Officers ' Club; Knute Weidman and Deacon Parsons, chorus girls extraordinary; and finally, Honeyboy Fred Harris, with dozens of others in the Fightronian Glee Club , filled the evening witii laughter. SoulfuUy, to the music of Old Man River, Honeyboy sang of Old Man Taylor, a left-handed trilnite to Conidr. Joe Taylor, the Air Officer, who laughed as heartily as any of the appreciative plane-pushers. Franklin arrived at Pearl Harbor. November 21st, 1944. The navy yard, after a (]uick. ins|)ection. decided Hremerton Navy Yard was better equipjjed to make re|)airs. Details were radioed ahead and even as Big Ben steamed westward by Diamond Head the next day. machine shops of the Pugel Sound Navy ard were prei)aring for their task. Memorial services were held Sunday, November 26th, on the hangar deck, for the men of the Air Group and of the ship who had given their lives during the cruise. The rites were simple and impressive. Hymns were reverently sung led by Chaplins Chamberlin and Harkins. A prayer was of fered for the comrades who had fallen in battle and were not coming home. The roll of their names was sadly called; three volleys were fired over the Pacific in their honor. Aft er a silent prayer, the final hymn was sung. At Orchard Point, near Bremerton, after brief ceremonies, the Air Group and passengers left the shi|i. Fighting Air Group Thirteen and the men of the Franklin had been com- rades for nearly a year. Comdr. Dick Kibbe. speaking for the Air Group, recalled the days together and said Thank you and good luck, Franklin! ( aptain Gehres, for the people of Big Ben. ])raised the grou]) ' s brilliant combat record and wished the men who had been such splendid shi|)mates many happy landings. Since their first combat operation of July 1th. in the uhirlwiiul tein|i() of the Pacific War. Air Group Thirteen had made an enviable record. They had destroyed or dam- aged at least ' X H enemy planes, against a loss of 5. ' of their own. They had sunk 60 merchant vessels for a total of 155,- 000 tons; damaged another 66 for 158,000 tons more. They had sunk 15 Japanese warships for a total of 57.950 tons and damaged 19 others totaling 254,500 tons. The group had lost 36 pilots. 30% of the original complement; it had lost 27 aircj ewmen, 27% of the original com|)lement. ft had flown 3,971 combat sorties against the enemy. Customs inspection was brief; there had been little for- eign trade on this cruise, except in bombs and bullets. The last airman was off the ship by dark and all hands looked forward sleeplessly to the morrow. Early in the morning tugs were moving the Franklin to the navy yard. It was hard to warp the huge ship into the drydock. with the wind and tide whipping her out of |)Osi- tion and it was late in the afternoon when she rested on the blocks of Drydock 5. USS Franklin in Drydock Fiic. Hremerton Aar Yard, jor repairs. The USS Bunker Hill (on the right) receives repairs also