Navy chaplain Joseph Timothy O’Callahan had been drowsily chewing on his French toast when a
thunderous roar reverberated through USS Franklin, shaking her to her core. He and the other officers
instinctively dashed towards the main deck. USS Franklin was the first US carrier to
get within 50 miles of mainland Japan during World War 2, so an attack was not unexpected;
still, what O’Callahan was about to witness would leave him at a loss for words.
Glass shards slammed the young chaplain’s face as the light fixtures on the ship’s corridors
burst into pieces before the continuous detonations. Two 550-pound armor-piercing
bombs had shattered through the carrier’s decks, causing an uncontrollable inferno
and leaving the vessel utterly helpless. Now, dozens of fuel-loaded aircraft and
thousands of rockets and ammunition depots were on the brink of exploding. The fire spread across
the lower decks, and a single breath of the scorching air could sear a sailor’s lungs.
Instead of fleeing, O’Callahan’s military and spiritual duties kicked in,
and he began tending to the wounded, giving the last rites to his agonizing comrades.
Outside, US Navy commanders from other US ships witnessed the overwhelming damage
and suggested scuttling Franklin at once - they were too close to the enemy to try to save her.
However, Captain Leslie E. Gehres vehemently refused. There were still close to one
thousand sailors below deck, and he would not abandon them.
Come what may, USS Franklin would not sink that day…
Essex-class Aircraft Carrier
USS Franklin was the fifth of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers. These colossal capital ships
were designed with a wartime mentality, and they were not limited by the Washington Naval
Treaty that had previously crippled the size and firepower of other vessels. She was laid
down on December 7, 1942, and commissioned for war in the Pacific in January of 1944.
Franklin displaced 36,380 long tons while
fully loaded and could carry between 90 and 100 aircraft.
The ship had a length of 872 feet, a beam of 93 feet, and a draft of 34 feet. She was powered by
eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers and propelled by four shafts and four geared turbines that allowed
her to reach speeds of up to 38 miles per hour. The ship had a crew of 2,600 men that manned four
single and four twin 127-millimeter dual-purpose guns, eight quadruple
40-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, and over 40 single 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns.
In June of 1944, she linked up with Task Group 58.2 at Eniwetok Island,
where she served as the flagship of Rear Admiral Ralph. E. Davison.
It was then that her aircrews tasted combat for the first time during carrier strikes on the Bonin
Islands. The aircraft destroyed multiple Japanese installations such as airfields, barracks,
and depots to successfully ease the capture of the Mariana Islands for friendly ground forces.
In July, her aircrews led more air strikes on Rota Island and Guam to support Allied
amphibious operations, as the US Navy had to destroy and secure multiple enemy air bases
that controlled the airspace from the Philippines to Okinawa before Luzon’s recovery could occur.
Franklin’s Vought F4U Corsairs also conducted photographic reconnaissance
missions to conduct air strikes on other islands.
The crew operated nonstop, gaining experience with every
single mission. And after resupplying at Saipan, USS Franklin was sent to
Yap Island to provide air coverage for the upcoming invasion of Peleliu Island.
The Big Ben
On September 15, 1944, tragedy struck USS Franklin for the first time.
After a successful fighter sweep against Cagayan in the Philippines, the ship was attacked by
three Japanese aircraft, one of which scored a hit that took three lives and wounded 20.
Still, the crew eagerly moved forward and destroyed more Japanese aircraft
during the Formosa Air Battle in October, just as the invasion of Leyte took form.
During the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, which happened from October 23 to 26,
Franklin’s Corsairs fought like madmen against the
Japanese First Raiding Force under the command of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita.
The seasoned pilots of USS Franklin were even more lauded for sinking
one of the world’s most powerful warships ever built: the Musashi.
On October 27, USS Franklin’s task group was operating South of Mindoro Island, trying to
destroy a Japanese cruiser and several destroyers. Amidst the fire and smoke that filled the
ambiance, the Japanese sent a unit of Kamikazes to deal as much damage as possible to the Americans.
Despite the accurate fire of the four carriers and more than 20 destroyers and cruisers that
protected USS Franklin, six enemy bombers managed to break into the formation. Three were swiftly
shot down by Franklin’s anti-aircraft guns, while the other two went directly to the
surrounding carriers. Unfortunately, one of them managed to hit Franklin’s flight deck.
Although damaged, the surviving crew was able to stop the fires
in less than two hours to ensure that friendly aircraft could land safely.
The carrier then made her way to Ulithi Atoll for repairs.
By then, Captain J. M. Shoemaker was relieved by World War 1 veteran Captain Leslie E. Gehres,
an officer known for his harsh, obstinate, and very strict demeanor.
During the event, Gehres reprimanded the crew, telling them: (QUOTE) “It was your fault because
you didn’t shoot the kamikaze down. You didn’t do your duty; you’re incompetent, lazy, and careless.
Evidently, you don’t know your jobs, and I’m going to do my best to shape up this crew!”
Without realizing it, they were being prepared for an inconceivable test…
A Floating Inferno
After a brief stop in Pearl Harbor, where the ship was resupplied and patched up,
USS Franklin was deployed with Task Group 58.2 on March 3, 1945. The fleet was instructed to
launch a large-scale attack on the Japanese homeland to support the landings in Okinawa.
USS Franklin became the first American carrier to sail within 50 miles of the Japanese main island.
Despite the weakened Japanese defenses, the US carrier was on high alert, and her captain had
ordered the crew to man battle stations 12 times in the span of just six hours.
The crew was exhausted, and Gehres decided to decrease the alert level to Condition III,
allowing the sailors to eat and sleep even though the gunners had to remain at their posts. But just
as the crew began to relax, catastrophe struck. A lone Japanese bomber managed to pierce the
American fleet’s perimeter while hiding above cloud level. And just as Franklin’s crew
finished launching a wave of strike warplanes, the Japanese bomber dropped from the clouds
and dove directly into the carrier’s deck. Before the US gunners could repel the attack,
the enemy aircraft dropped two 550-pound armor-piercing bombs on top of the US ship.
The warheads perforated the carrier’s flight deck and then detonated in an overwhelming blast.
Flames quickly spread throughout the ship, and scores of fully loaded warplanes
began to cook off in the blazing heat. A destructive chain of detonations ensued,
trapping hundreds of sailors below deck and disabling all of the ship’s systems.
Gehres refused to give the order to abandon the ship, but many sailors jumped to the
water as they fled from the growing inferno onboard Franklin. The explosions had destroyed
the combat information center and air plot and wrecked three of the carrier’s decks.
The warplanes on the flight deck soon started to explode, which caused their “Tiny Tim”
air-to-surface rockets to ignite and ricochet off the flight deck, causing even more destruction.
Despite the unfathomable desolation and the thick smoke that now covered the entirety of
the ship, hundreds of sailors, including Navy Catholic chaplain Joseph Timothy O’Callahan,
refused to leave, venturing back into the bowels of the burning ship to help their crewmates…
Battle for Survival
Cruisers USS Pittsburgh and USS Santa Fe, destroyers USS Miller, USS Hickox,
USS Hunt, and USS Marshall immediately rushed to Franklin’s positions to aid the damaged carrier.
When the rest of the American commanders witnessed the devastation, they urged Captain
Gehres to abandon the ship and scuttle her. However, knowing there were still hundreds
of sailors below deck, Gehres refused to sink his own ship and instructed the
remaining sailors to flood as many magazines as possible to prevent further explosions.
The rest of the US vessels began to rescue the men who had jumped offboard, while several destroyers
put their bows against the side of the burning carrier to save those trapped by the fire.
Like Chaplain O’Callahan, Lieutenant Junior Grade Donald A. Gary decided to stay on the burning
wreck and ventured into the depth of the carrier, enduring the flames and smoke until he found
300 men trapped in a darkened mess hall. Gary then led them to safety and returned on several
occasions to rescue more groups of sailors. At one point, he organized and led fire-fighting
teams to quench the fires on the hangar deck and eventually reached the No. 3 fireroom,
releasing the steam in one boiler to prevent another explosion.
Gary and O’Callaghan would later be awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor for their sacrifice and bravery.
Ghost Ship
Thanks to the efforts of dozens of brave sailors, most of the 3,200 men on board Franklin survived;
however, the catastrophe would claim the lives of over 800 men and injure another 265.
After putting the fire under control, Franklin managed to sail on her own to Pearl Harbor,
after which she traveled to the Brooklyn Navy Yard,
where she would spend months undergoing heavy repairs.
For her gallant actions in the Pacific, USS Franklin received four battle stars
for her service. And after repairs, she was displayed at the Navy Day celebrations.
USS Franklin never returned to service and was
decommissioned in February of 1947. She was finally scrapped in 1964.
Despite the tremendous damage she suffered during the attack of March of 1945,
Franklin earned the reputation of being an indestructible ship.
The enemy considered her a ghost ship and claimed to have sunk her
on three different occasions just to encounter her on the battlefront again.
Ultimately, the ship became a symbol of American perseverance and determination during the war.
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