USS Franklin

USS Franklin. The name USS Franklin has been borne by five ships of the United States Navy, honoring Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. The most renowned was the fifth, an Essex-class aircraft carrier that saw extensive service in the Pacific Theater during World War II. This vessel earned enduring fame for surviving catastrophic damage inflicted by a Japanese air attack in 1945, a testament to the resilience of her crew and the U.S. Navy's damage control procedures.

History

The lineage of ships named Franklin reflects the evolution of the U.S. Navy from its early days. The first was a schooner used during the Revolutionary War, while the second served as a brig in the early 19th century. The third was a frigate launched in 1864 that saw service in the Civil War and later with the Asiatic Squadron. The fourth was a steamship commissioned in 1915, used as a troop transport during World War I. The legacy culminated with the ''Essex''-class carrier, whose dramatic survival story cemented the name in naval history.

Design and construction

The fifth USS Franklin was an Essex-class aircraft carrier, a class that formed the backbone of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's fast carrier task force. Ordered under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program, her keel was laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Virginia. She was launched in October 1943, sponsored by Mildred H. McAfee, the director of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). The ship was commissioned in January 1944, under the command of Captain James M. Shoemaker.

Service history

Following shakedown in the Caribbean, the Franklin joined Task Force 58 for operations against the Japanese. She participated in major campaigns including the Marianas campaign, the Leyte Gulf operations, and raids on the Japanese home islands. On 19 March 1945, while operating off the coast of Honshū, the ship was hit by two Japanese aircraft bombs during a low-level attack. The ordnance penetrated the flight deck, igniting fueled and armed aircraft, and triggering massive explosions among stored bombs and rockets.

The resulting fires and blasts killed 807 men and wounded more than 487, in one of the worst losses for a surviving U.S. warship. Despite the devastation, the crew, including notable figures like Chaplain Joseph T. O'Callahan and Lieutenant Donald A. Gary, heroically fought the fires. The heavily damaged vessel was taken under tow by the cruiser USS ''Pittsburgh'' before she could restore partial power. After emergency repairs at Ulithi Atoll, she made an epic journey under her own power across the Pacific Ocean to the New York Navy Yard for permanent repairs, arriving in April 1945. The ship was decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap in 1966.

Awards and legacy

The Franklin and her crew received several honors, most prominently the Presidential Unit Citation for her final combat operation. Individual heroism was recognized with the Medal of Honor awarded to Chaplain O'Callahan and Lieutenant Gary. The event was later dramatized in the 1959 film *"The Fighting Lady"* segment and the book *"Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II."* The ship's bell is preserved at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and her story remains a prime example of damage control and crew valor studied within the Navy.

See also

* List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy * Battle of Okinawa * Fast Carrier Task Force * Damage control (maritime) * Benjamin Franklin-class submarine

Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers of the United States Navy Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States Category:Ships built in Virginia