“Those Who Cannot Remember History Are Doomed To Repeat It”—G. Santayana
Why don’t more people know about the bravery of the men aboard USS Franklin? That’s one question I will answer in my forthcoming book.
Last Saturday, I attended the 37th Annual Admiral Nimitz Seminar at the Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, TX. At the reception the night before, I talked with several people whose parents had served in the US Navy in WWII. Each was well-versed in US Naval history in the Asian-Pacific War, but none had ever heard of the events aboard USS Franklin on 19 March 1945.
Earlier that week, someone else emailed me recounting his conversation with a retired U.S. Naval aviator. That naval aviator had never heard of the story of the USS Franklin.
Conversations Like these Motivate Me
These two incidents further drive my motivation to tell the story about Franklin. The crew remains the most decorated crew in US Naval history, and the stories of their courage should rank right up there with “Don’t Give Up The Ship,” “Damn The Torpedoes–full speed ahead,” the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima, and other legendary acts.
More importantly, genuine lessons can be learned from the crew’s and other ships’ actions that rendered assistance. Sadly, my preliminary research indicates some of these lessons have been lost to the more recent generations of US Naval personnel.
As I research my book, I’m learning more about why the crew didn’t get more recognition. I will tell you there was no overarching conspiracy, but you’ll just have to read the book to find out why more people don’t know of the crew’s stories.
Lessons We Can Learn
After the March attack on Franklin and the May 11 attack on USS Bunker Hill, one of her sister ships, the US Navy made many changes, primarily in ship design and damage control procedures.
If you are interested in leadership and decision-making, I will discuss lessons we can learn from the actions of the men, not only on Franklin but also on other ships that came to her aid.
Casualty counts vary; the US Navy now says 807 were killed in action. Another 347 received Purple Hearts for wounds.
392 Decorations Were Awarded*
Medals of Honor 2
Navy Crosses 20
Silver Stars 22
Gold Star In Lieu Of Second Bronze Star 5
Bronze Stars 110
Letters of Commendation (Ribbon) 233
Captain Gehres admitted that many others deserved and should have also received recognition.
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Did you arrive here via a search engine? I am the author of the forthcoming book Heroes By The Hundreds: The Story of the USS Franklin (CV-13). In addition to writing about the bravery of the crews that saved her, I will discuss the lessons we can learn in leadership and decision-making and the changes the US Navy made because of those lessons.
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-Glenn
*Additional decorations were awarded to members of the crews of other ships that came to Franklin’s aid.
