USS FRANKLIN Survivors group

[KASTAUFFER]

I just recently acquired this group on Ebay and it turned out a lot nicer than I thought it would. It is a grouping of photos and documents related to AMM2c Ralph W. Wilcox . He was one of the survivors of the attack on the USS Franklin.

 

The following text is taken from the USS Franklin's website :

 

Before dawn on 19 March 1945 the U.S.S. Franklin, who had maneuvered closer to the Japanese mainland than had any other U.S. carrier during the war, launched a fighter sweep against Honshu and later a strike against shipping in Kobe Harbor. Suddenly, a single enemy plane pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the gallant ship to drop two semi-armor piercing bombs. One struck the flight deck centerline, penetrating to the hangar deck, effecting destruction and igniting fires through the second and third decks, and knocking out the combat information center and airplot. The second hit aft, tearing through two decks and fanning fires, which triggered ammunition, bombs and rockets. The Franklin, within 50 miles of the Japanese mainland, lay dead in the water, took a 13° starboard list, lost all radio communications, and broiled under the heat from enveloping fires. Many of the crew were blown overboard, driven off by fire, killed or wounded, but the 106 officers and 604 enlisted who voluntarily remained saved their ship through sheer valor and tenacity. The casualties totaled 724 killed and 265 wounded, and would have far exceeded this number except for the heroic work of many survivors. Among these were Medal of Honor winners, Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan, S. J., USNR, the ship's chaplain, who administered the last rites, organized and directed firefighting and rescue parties, and led men below to wet down magazines that threatened to explode, and Lieutenant (junior grade) Donald Gary who discovered 300 men trapped in a blackened mess compartment, and finding an exit, returned repeatedly to lead groups to safety. The U.S.S. Santa Fe (CL-60) similarly rendered vital assistance in rescuing crewmen from the sea and closing the Franklin to take off the numerous wounded.

 

The Franklin was taken in tow by the U.S.S. Pittsburgh until she managed to churn up speed to 14 knots and proceed to Pearl Harbor where a cleanup job permitted her to sail under her own power to Brooklyn, N.Y., arriving on 28 April. Following the end of the war, the Franklin was opened to the public, for Navy Day celebrations, and on 17 February 1947 was placed out of commission at Bayonne, N.J. On 15 May 1959 she was reclassified AVT 8.

 

The U.S.S. Franklin received four battle stars for World War II service.

 

Wilcox was a " Shellback , Plankowner , and a Golden Dragon " during his service on the USS Franklin . Much of this kind of paperwork did not survive the attack. It is scarce material .

 

The officer " J Taylor " who signed his ID card, earned a Navy Cross on the USS Franklin .

 

[KASTAUFFER]

This newpaper article gives a good idea of the experiences of a typical USS Franklin survivor . To escape the flames , he had to jump overboard . He was picked up by a destroyer the USS HUNT after spening 4 hours adrift in the water.

 

What many people dont realize is that the Captain of the USS Franklin tried to have all of the men who jumped off the ship or otherwise left the ship during the attack court-martialed . He was not successful . The USN realized what kind of a public relations nightmare it would be and didnt press any charges.

 

Captain Gehres created a wallet card for the men who never left the ship and called it the 704 club ( the number of men left on the ship ) . He never let any of the other men back on the the ship except to get their personal belongings .

 

To read the article, click on the bar above the photo to make it larger.

 

[KASTAUFFER]

Photos of Ralph

 

[KASTAUFFER]

The following posts are some of the 25 photos of the USS Franklin that wre in the group. They are old prints of US Navy official photos . I actually met the photographer who took many of these photos at a USS Franklin reunion. To see a photo of Art go the following thread :

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=6783

 

 

[KASTAUFFER]

More pics

 

[KASTAUFFER]

More pics

 

 

 

You can see from the pictures , it was hell on earth ... I take my hat off to the survivors

 

Also in the group are a number of additional photos and documents, but I thought the ones I posted were the most interesting.

 

Kurt

[dhcoleterracina]

Quite a story and a great group Kurt. Its amazing to me how a sailor can serve his country overseas and survive an attack to later almost face a court-martial for trying not to get burned alive. They were certainly different times then. If Hanoi Jane had posed with a Japanese AA Crew wearing one of their helmets I wonder what would have been the result.....sorry, I don't want to go down that road again.

[KASTAUFFER]

Quite a story and a great group Kurt. Its amazing to me how a sailor can serve his country overseas and survive an attack to later almost face a court-martial for trying not to get burned alive. They were certainly different times then. If Hanoi Jane had posed with a Japanese AA Crew wearing one of their helmets I wonder what would have been the result.....sorry, I don't want to go down that road again.

 

 

I hear ya there buddy !

 

When I spoke to some of the survivor's they spoke about the 704 club in whispers... many of the men that were part of the " club " felt they didnt deserve any extra recognition... it was all circumstance. Some of them threw away the cards as soon as they got them, becuase they felt what Capt Gehre's was trying to do was wrong. Different times indeed,

 

Kurt

[Rattle]

Wow, great group Kurt

It is often forgotten that not just the USS Santa Fe came to the rescue of the Franklin.

This is a GCM to a Seaman who served from 1929 to 1948.

During the attacks on the Franklin, he served aboard the USS Miller, a Fletcher class destroyer, that was one of the first ships to aid the Franklin during the attack. The USS Miller won the NAVY UNIT COMMENDATION for it's part in the rescue.

 

[Rattle]

Here are two pics, showing the Miller alongside the Franklin.

 

 

 

Regards,

Stephan

[KASTAUFFER]

Nice photos and GCM Stephan . You are right about the destroyers. Without them a lot of men would have perished in the water.

 

Kurt

[KASTAUFFER]

In rememberence of the USS Franklin

[R Michael]

Great thread and an honor to the sailors of the Franklin. It is interecting as I met the daughter of a sailor that was on the Franklin this past week. He is taking Chemo treatments and I may have the great honor to get to meet him. Odd how these things work out.

 

Mike

[vicjoy1945]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

I have at least one posthumous Purple Heart to a gallant sailor who perished aboard her on that fateful day.

 

Rest in peace.

 

Vic

[Lucky 7th Armored]

Im surprised there wasnt as much comments on the original post, great grouping, i was not aware of this attack on the ship, very interesting. Learn something everyday!

 

Haydn

[sigsaye]

Great thread and an honor to the sailors of the Franklin. It is interecting as I met the daughter of a sailor that was on the Franklin this past week. He is taking Chemo treatments and I may have the great honor to get to meet him. Odd how these things work out.

 

Mike

Last summer I was a t a farmers market with a "Navy" t-shirt on. One of the vendors (localy made wine), mentioned that her father had been a Chief in the Navy and had been on the Franklin. She seemed surprised that I knew about the ship. He was not a Chief at the time, (he went on the serv 20 years and retire), and seldom spoke about what happened other than how proud he was that they got her all the way home. He said they felt like loosers as they had almost lost the ship and were feeling really low when they steamed in to NY, and could not understand why all the people on the pier were cheering them and acting like they were heros.

 

Different times indeed.

 

Steve Hesson

[67Rally]

...other than how proud he was that they got her all the way home. He said they felt like loosers as they had almost lost the ship and were feeling really low when they steamed in to NY, and could not understand why all the people on the pier were cheering them and acting like they were heros.

 

Different times indeed.

 

Steve Hesson

 

This is the case on so many levels! Think about this...the entire nation (whether they wanted to or not) was involved in the war. War was in the conscience of the populace. From rationing and recycling to family and friends serving. The nation knew what was going on (not in real time like we have now).

 

These guys were/are heroes, Steve.

[sigsaye]

This is the case on so many levels! Think about this...the entire nation (whether they wanted to or not) was involved in the war. War was in the conscience of the populace. From rationing and recycling to family and friends serving. The nation knew what was going on (not in real time like we have now).

 

These guys were/are heroes, Steve.

Most definately. I, like many former squids on this forum have fought fires at sea, been on ships that have been damaged (by storms), but nothing like what these guys went through. We know what it took not only to save the ship, but get her home. To them, they were knocked out of the fight, they were letting the rest of the fleet down by not being there, that was where their thinking was, not that they had saved their ship and each other.

 

Steve Hesson

[steyrlifer]

I have to agree with what "sigsaye" just said. I was in the Navy from 68 to 93. The worst thing you could say about another sailor was that he wasn't pulling his load. I can easily see how those heroic Franklin sailors felt they might have been letting their shipmates in the rest of the fleet down when they had to withdraw. They were pushing the tip of the spear ever closer to the enemies throat and took what would have been a fatal hit on any other ship. But they stood their ground and refused to give up.

 

During my time in service we were taught about the brave men of the Franklin in firefighting school. I've lost count of how many times I went, it was a lot. There have been a number of disasterous naval fires at sea, all taught at the school, but the Franklin fire was special for me. If you have not fought a fire up close and personal, well let's just say it will scare the crap out of you. I found it very intimidating. But knowing about the Franklin sailors made it possible for me to find it within myself the means to deal with it. They have inspired sailors to this very day not to quit the fight...ever. Remember the USS Cole? The Cole sailors were on a ship that had most of it's firefighting capability knocked out in the initial bomb blast. But those men and women had the benefit and knowledge of the Franklin experience in their training. They went back down into the fires and saved their ship.

 

I had the honor of meeting a Franklin survivor a couple of years ago.

[67Rally]

I have to agree with what "sigsaye" just said. I was in the Navy from 68 to 93. The worst thing you could say about another sailor was that he wasn't pulling his load. I can easily see how those heroic Franklin sailors felt they might have been letting their shipmates in the rest of the fleet down when they had to withdraw. They were pushing the tip of the spear ever closer to the enemies throat and took what would have been a fatal hit on any other ship. But they stood their ground and refused to give up.

 

During my time in service we were taught about the brave men of the Franklin in firefighting school. I've lost count of how many times I went, it was a lot. There have been a number of disasterous naval fires at sea, all taught at the school, but the Franklin fire was special for me. If you have not fought a fire up close and personal, well let's just say it will scare the crap out of you. I found it very intimidating. But knowing about the Franklin sailors made it possible for me to find it within myself the means to deal with it. They have inspired sailors to this very day not to quit the fight...ever. Remember the USS Cole? The Cole sailors were on a ship that had most of it's firefighting capability knocked out in the initial bomb blast. But those men and women had the benefit and knowledge of the Franklin experience in their training. They went back down into the fires and saved their ship.

 

I had the honor of meeting a Franklin survivor a couple of years ago.

 

steyrlifer,

 

No doubt about that. I think we trained more in firefighting than in our primary role aboard ship...or at least it seemed that way.

 

I had the opportunity in July of '88 to meet some of the guys who saved their ship from splitting in two and subsequent fires and massive flooding. We were the escort ship who guided the Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) as she was carried out of the Gulf. Talk about heroic modern-era sailors. Those men were incredible - that ship had a split that encircled her from keel to the top of the superstructure and back down to the keel again. Her gas turbine modules were blown from their mounts and into the overhead.

 

Prior to that, when we were doing a turnover with the Wainwright guys during INCHOP - I met some of their crew who had volunteered to fight the fires aboard the Stark. They talked about how the fire fighting water was boiling...I couldn't imagine that.

 

Now, when I see these images from WWII of these mass conflagration fires that these guys are fighting WHILE THE SHIP IS UNDER ATTACK and I can't fathom the caliber of man who served in WWII. They were flat-out amazing!

[snake36bravo]

When my dad remarried I became a grandson of sorts to William Monahan. He served on-board the USS Franklin and had an incredible photo album I will always remember. I must have been around eleven or twelve when he first opened up about all of it. He went on to become a fireman in New York both shore based and on fire boats and I've always believed his experiences on the USS Franklin with that fire shaped him. The images of the Franklin listing and the fire weren't easy to forget. He was a hellava good guy too.

 

 

Really nice to see this group and to remember him. :thumbsup:

[sigsaye]

steyrlifer,

 

No doubt about that. I think we trained more in firefighting than in our primary role aboard ship...or at least it seemed that way.

 

I had the opportunity in July of '88 to meet some of the guys who saved their ship from splitting in two and subsequent fires and massive flooding. We were the escort ship who guided the Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) as she was carried out of the Gulf. Talk about heroic modern-era sailors. Those men were incredible - that ship had a split that encircled her from keel to the top of the superstructure and back down to the keel again. Her gas turbine modules were blown from their mounts and into the overhead.

 

Prior to that, when we were doing a turnover with the Wainwright guys during INCHOP - I met some of their crew who had volunteered to fight the fires aboard the Stark. They talked about how the fire fighting water was boiling...I couldn't imagine that.

 

Now, when I see these images from WWII of these mass conflagration fires that these guys are fighting WHILE THE SHIP IS UNDER ATTACK and I can't fathom the caliber of man who served in WWII. They were flat-out amazing!

Interesting you bring up Stark and Sammy B. When I was on the Pensacola, one of my SM2s Brother was the SM1 on the Sammy B. when she got hit. He led the topside firefighting teams. I had an RM2 who had been on the Stark when she got hit. He said he was supposed to be in his rack when the missle hit her, but for some reason had traded watches with another RM. The missel entered OPS berthing just above my RM2s rack. The other RM was killed. They fought the fires and then had to clean up, recovering the remains of the off watch guys killed in the compartment. Couple of dark nights off kuait with RM2. He prefered to sleep out on deck.

 

Steve Hesson

[67Rally]

Interesting you bring up Stark and Sammy B. When I was on the Pensacola, one of my SM2s Brother was the SM1 on the Sammy B. when she got hit. He led the topside firefighting teams. I had an RM2 who had been on the Stark when she got hit. He said he was supposed to be in his rack when the missle hit her, but for some reason had traded watches with another RM. The missel entered OPS berthing just above my RM2s rack. The other RM was killed. They fought the fires and then had to clean up, recovering the remains of the off watch guys killed in the compartment. Couple of dark nights off kuait with RM2. He prefered to sleep out on deck.

 

Steve Hesson

 

 

Steve,

 

Since I was an OS, I was particularly struck by the fact that the OSs and EWs on watch in CIC (when the F-1 approached and lit up the Stark prior to firing the Exocet) were unable to protect their ship with the systems, procedures and decision-making and subsequently, their off-watch division mates (along with many other rates) suffered as a result. I can't imagine what those guys are doing these days to deal with it. I think about the CICWO and the TAO (LT Moncrief) and what they are living with today.

 

We were briefed and subsequently trained against the Stark incident. We learned the ROE and committed that, hard and fast, to our mindset. None of us (save for one dirt-bag OS whom I wrote up for sleeping on watch as we transited through the strait of Hormuz - Silkworm guidance radar lock-on and all) wanted to be picking through rubble to find our pieces of charred shipmates to send home.

[KASTAUFFER]

BTT in memory of the Franklin.

[aerialbridge]

I just recently acquired this group on Ebay and it turned out a lot nicer than I thought it would. It is a grouping of photos and documents related to AMM2c Ralph W. Wilcox . He was one of the survivors of the attack on the USS Franklin.

 

The following text is taken from the USS Franklin's website :

 

Before dawn on 19 March 1945 the U.S.S. Franklin, who had maneuvered closer to the Japanese mainland than had any other U.S. carrier during the war, launched a fighter sweep against Honshu and later a strike against shipping in Kobe Harbor. Suddenly, a single enemy plane pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the gallant ship to drop two semi-armor piercing bombs. One struck the flight deck centerline, penetrating to the hangar deck, effecting destruction and igniting fires through the second and third decks, and knocking out the combat information center and airplot. The second hit aft, tearing through two decks and fanning fires, which triggered ammunition, bombs and rockets. The Franklin, within 50 miles of the Japanese mainland, lay dead in the water, took a 13° starboard list, lost all radio communications, and broiled under the heat from enveloping fires. Many of the crew were blown overboard, driven off by fire, killed or wounded, but the 106 officers and 604 enlisted who voluntarily remained saved their ship through sheer valor and tenacity. The casualties totaled 724 killed and 265 wounded, and would have far exceeded this number except for the heroic work of many survivors. Among these were Medal of Honor winners, Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan, S. J., USNR, the ship's chaplain, who administered the last rites, organized and directed firefighting and rescue parties, and led men below to wet down magazines that threatened to explode, and Lieutenant (junior grade) Donald Gary who discovered 300 men trapped in a blackened mess compartment, and finding an exit, returned repeatedly to lead groups to safety. The U.S.S. Santa Fe (CL-60) similarly rendered vital assistance in rescuing crewmen from the sea and closing the Franklin to take off the numerous wounded.

 

The Franklin was taken in tow by the U.S.S. Pittsburgh until she managed to churn up speed to 14 knots and proceed to Pearl Harbor where a cleanup job permitted her to sail under her own power to Brooklyn, N.Y., arriving on 28 April. Following the end of the war, the Franklin was opened to the public, for Navy Day celebrations, and on 17 February 1947 was placed out of commission at Bayonne, N.J. On 15 May 1959 she was reclassified AVT 8.

 

The U.S.S. Franklin received four battle stars for World War II service.

 

Wilcox was a " Shellback , Plankowner , and a Golden Dragon " during his service on the USS Franklin . Much of this kind of paperwork did not survive the attack. It is scarce material .

 

The officer " J Taylor " who signed his ID card, earned a Navy Cross on the USS Franklin .

 

 

Great historical group.

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online...lincv13_wdr.htm

 

http://www.historylink101.com/ww2_navy/org...nklin/4756.html