Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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fiH ABOVE : Catholic Memorial Services on flight deck . . . Father O ' Callahan conducting, . . . BELOW: Salute to the brave nilt«fliBB§iiie»4fi»a(M ' iC- ' « } y

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C n A P T K K ELEVEN ... I ' m sure he heard us, that gray Sunday morning, as we knelt on the deck and prayed for the buddies who wouldn ' t he coming home . . . they were very close to us that ilay . . . they always will be close ... BIG BEN COMES HOME Saddened but undal ' mted, icierinined to fight again, the torn, fire-blackened flattop anchored at Ulithi. Sunday, March 25th. 1945, mass of Thanksgiving on the flight deck was led by Father Joseph O ' Callahan; Protestant service of Thanksgiving was led by Charles G. Weldon Gatlin. Most men attended both services; some wept openly durino- the humble, sincere prayers. And since it is of Thy mercy, gracious Father, that another week is added to our lives; wa heie dedicate attain our soul and our bodies to Thee and Thy service, in a sober, righteous, and godly life; during the week we made new resolutions and in these, do Thou, merciful God, confirm and strengthen us; that, as we grow in age we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray . . . The services closed with the Navy ' s hymn, Eternal Father. l lrrnal h ' alln-r, sUoni; lu save. Whose arm doth bind the restless wave. If ho bid ' sl the mighty ocean deep. Its own appointed limits keep; hear us tvlien ive cry to Thee For those in peril on tlie sea . ■ . The Thanksgiving services were followed by Memorial Services for the dead. On the flight deck, in the fitfully falling rain moving across the harbor in sheets, the men of the Franklin, led by Father O ' Callahan, assembled to the mournful strains of a dirge softly played by the surviving bandsmen. In a beautiful, heart-touching talk, the priest re- called to the men that their comrades had died on Saint Joseph ' s Day — Saint Joseph, the patron saint of a merciful death — that their death, though tragic, had been in merci- ful circumstances, with every man having a brief moment for a last prayer. Protestant Memorial Services on Franklin ' s hangar deck . . . Chaplain G. Ifeldon Gatlin conducting

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And uliilc llieir sad loss could never lie roif otten. those who li ed must never forget they had died jiroud deaths, in the serviee of their country, fighting for (jod ' s cause against bloody oppression. A Psalm was read and men liowed and |ira)cd lor the souls of their shipmates. The Maritie squad fired three volleys and men stood in salute, honoring their fallen comrades. » Monday evening the hos])ital ship liouiilijiil sent its tal- ented entertainment grou]) to the Franklin. Amid debris and fireswept steel, with a bomb-blasted elevator for a back- drop, their performance did much to brighten men ' s s])irits. All salvageable equipment was given to other ships or .o the repair force. A Tiny Tim , which had lain in a dan- gerous position on the second deck and defied all efforts of the ship ' s personnel for days, was carefully carried topside and lowered into the water, by volunteers under the direc- tion of a bomb disposal officer from the repair force. Tuesday, March 26th, accompanied by two destroyer es- corts. Franklin and Santa Fe were underway at sunset for Pearl Harbor. Under the personal direction of Captain Gehres every officer and man labored throughout the days. The debris must be cleared away and the ship made habit- able; the personal effects of more than 2()()0 men must be collected, inventoried, and packaged. ith water, lights, and manpower at a premium these tasks required weeks to ac- complish. There was little of laughter or gaiety on the shattered decks as men found surcease from tension and memories in the exhaustion of toil. They were proud that Franklin still sailed; proud to have brought her from the jaws of death: sad in the absence of their friends. .Another dispatch arrived from the commander of the Fifth Fleet, Admiral Spruance, to the Franklin, and to every ship in the Fleet, as well as to the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean Area, Admiral Nimitz: The courage, fortitude, and ability of you and your crew in saving and bringing back Franklin for future use against the enemy cannot be too highly praised. Hrr 1 ■M Q ! l 3 1 H BU igi 1 H kiJIf ■ 3 Franklins hand lost its instruments, hut nut its spirit ' ' Juniho If atson. docs his hat trick ' Spirits lifted some. Captain Gehres, at a little show on Wednesday afternoon, where a makeshift band played, using old kettles, bottles and combs to fill in the harmony, ad- dressed the men informally. The determination of this fight- ing captain was never more plainly evident than in his words: Vie are going to take this ship back out and get even with the little yellow scoundrels. 1, for one, am going to lie the first volunteer to take her back. Big V en. with Santa Fe, steamed slowly into Pearl Harbor on April 3rd, 1945. In the words of one of the men. ' On March 3rd we had sailed from Pearl — so clean, .so proud, and in such fighting trim. On April 3rd we were returning, in such a wrecked condition that it was almost unbelievable. A group of fifty WAVES and the station band were on the dock to greet us, singing ' Aloha ' . Some of our crew cried unashamedly, as did many of those who came to greet us at the dock. The seven hundred and four men who were coming back to Pearl Harbor on Big Ben were drawn up in thin ranks on the undamaged part of the flight deck. Saxie DowelFs makeshift band struck up a tune and Franklin ' s men showed the world they could still sing. The captain, himself, had written their song, and it was to the tune of the Marine Hymn : From the Jap Isle oj Kyushu To .•Imericu ' s shining shore Jl ' r ' ie hrought our ship, the Franklin. To he fixed to fi ht some more. Oh the .laps they tlnnii ht they ' d sunk us Is they came and C ' une ai ain Hut the couldn ' t L et the shot in That teas marked to sink Big Ben. From the .Chores oj Jiij) k ushu. By Ulithi ' s st ' aminii strand. And the isles of .-iloha . ' ui H e all come to oar men land. Many shipnuites sail not with us But their spirit shall not die: II hen our hugle sounds I o .Stations 11 e 11 ill (irisner jor them .4ye. '