Franklin (CV 13) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 142 text:

G ITATION On 3ttiarding the ©old JVItdal for Valor to Tht CI.jS.jS. Aircraft O rritr Franklin, Officers and Crew N THE MORNING OF MAY EIGHTEENTH. NEWS CAME THAT THE GREAT AIRCRAFT CARRIER FRANKLIN HAD BEEN STRUCK. WITH SADDENED HEARTS WE FOLLOWED THE FACTS ONE BY ONE AND LEARNED OF LOSS. CARNAGE. FIRE. EXPLOSION. AND DISASTER. ' BIG BEN. AFFECTIONATELY SO CALLED AFTER OUR FIRST GREAT AMERICAN. HAD BEEN CRIPPLED MANY WERE THEY WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE AND GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN SHOWN. THE PROUD CARRIER. LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD. HAD ALREADY RECEIVED ITS BATTLE SCARS IN A PREVIOUS ATTACK. WE PAY HOMAGE TO OUR NAVY; WE GLORY IN HER PROWESS; WITH FAME SHE IS ADORNED. WE SINGLE OUT FAVORITES AND ADOPT THEM AND FOLLOW THEIR CAREERS WITH PRIDE AND AFFECTION. ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO REVERETHE NAME OF BENIAMIN FRANKLIN, BIG BEN IS OF SPECIAL CONCERN. IT COULD NOT THEN BE OTHERWISE THAN THAT AS FOLLOWERS AND STUDENTS OF FRANKLIN WITH SADDENED HEARTS. WE FOLLOWED THE FACTS ONE BY ONE. ERMISSION HAD BEEN GIVEN TO THE CAPTAIN TO ABANDON SHIP. BUT THE CARRIER FRANKLIN WAS NOT DESERTED. CAPTAIN GEHRES AND HIS GREAT CREW. MADE OF STERNER S rUFF. WERE DETERMINED NOT TO ABANDON. THEN AS WE LEARNED MORE THERE CAME TO US THE THRILL OF VICTORY. FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE HAD BECOME THE FACT AND THE GREAT CARRIER lUST WOULD NOT GO DOWN. A MIRACLE WAS DONE. FOR THE FRANKLIN THAT HAD GONE DEAD LIVED ONCE AGAIN! NOT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR NAVY HAS THE TRADITION OF FORTITUDE AND HEROISM EXCELLED THAT OF THE OFFICERS AND CREW ON THE DAY AND AFTER THE CARRIER WAS BOMBED EVER IN THE ANNALS OF NAVAL HISTORY HAS GLORY BEEN BESTOWED AT ONE TIME ON SO MANY AS ON THAT MARCH NINETEENTH WHEN OUT OF THE SKY DASHED THE ENEMY INTENT ON DEATH AND TOTAL DESTRUCTION. IT WAS THEN THAT EVERY MAN M DID HIS DUTY . IT WAS THEN THAT THE NOBLE CAPTAIN WAS EQUAL TO HIS GREAT RESPONSIBILITY; IT WAS THEN THAT OFFICERS AND CREW RALLIED AND WORKED AS A GREAT UNIT. SAVED LIVES AND SHIP. AND BROUGHT THE CRIPPLED FRANKLIN SAFELY HOME OVER A COURSE OF TWELVE THOUSAND LONG MILES. IT WAS ON THAT DAY THAT THE NAME FRANKLIN TOOK ON ANOTHER GLORY FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE NAME. ). CAPTAIN GEHRES. THE INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR BENIAMIN FRANKLIN SOCIETY WITH CHAPTERS EXTENDING FROM MONTREAL AND MASSACHUSETTS.TO CALIFORNIA . SPONSORED BY THE INTERNATIONAL BENIAMIN FRANKLIN SOCIETY. lAMES WRIGHT BROWN. PRESIDENT. RECOGNIZING THE BRAVERY AND HEROISM OF THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE U S. S. CARRIER FRANKUN. ASKS YOU TO ACCEPT A MEDAL FOR VALOR TO BE PLACED ON THE CARRIER AS A CONSTANT REMINDER OF GREAT DEEDS WHICH WILL EVER BE AN EXAMPLE TO THOSE TO WHOM IS GIVEN GREAT RESPONSIBILITY ILL YOU BE PLEASED TO RECEIVE THE MEDAL AT THE HAND OF JOSEPH AGNELLO. PRESIDENT OFTHE GENERAL ORGANIZATION OF THIS SCHOOL AND MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR BENIAMIN FRANKLIN SOCIETY. CHAPTER 8. WHICH IS ONE OF m SIX CHAPTERS ORGANIZED IN THE NEW YORK SCHOOL OF PRINTING. civrM iM Nfw TotiK THIS Hif SintTTianBnal Brnjamm franklin nttir, Jnr. NINr.fl EN IHJMWrO rOHTYflVE VICLWCSIDCNT