Courage Under Fire: Dr. Samuel Sherman’s Heroism Aboard the USS Franklin
Several days ago, I read an oral history that filled in some missing blanks for me. In 1993, Dr. Samuel Sherman was interviewed by historian Jan Herman about Sherman’s experiences on USS Franklin during the 19 March 1945 attack. I obtained a copy from Anderson Clark, who is working on a documentary about the families of Franklin’s crew. He received it from a family member of one of the crew members.
Dr. Sherman, a Lieutenant Commander and the Air Group Five flight surgeon, was the only doctor on the flight deck during the greater part of the attack on the 19th. A San Francisco native, he had a thriving practice in trauma surgery (now known as Emergency Medicine) for ten years before the start of World War II.
19 March 1945
There were three other doctors on board. One died in sickbay as a result of the explosions, and the other two were trapped below decks. Nearly all of the medical corpsmen Sherman would have relied on were either killed outright, grievously wounded, trapped below decks, or blown overboard in the initial explosions.
Sherman assembled a makeshift group of helpers, many of whom were from the ship’s band, The Flattoppers. The musicians had been cross-trained in damage control and first aid. Sherman triaged the wounded, caring for those with major wounds or burns. His helpers administered to those with minor wounds.
At one point, Captain Leslie Gehres ordered Air Group 5 off the ship when the cruiser Santa Fe came alongside. Some accounts state the air group was ordered off because they were not trained in damage control and did not know how to manage the machinery. Sherman states that the air group was ordered off because the personnel were considered essential to the war effort. Both may be true. I will continue to research that.
When Air Group Five was ordered off the ship, Sherman’s superior, the Air Officer, approached him and told him he must leave. He refused, saying he was the only doctor on the flight deck and he had never left a patient needing care before. Sherman says his superior threatened to either have him shot or court-martialed. He told him to do what he had to do and continued treating patients.*
Planning Pays Off
I had read accounts of Lt. Commander Sherman’s actions before, most of which used this oral history as the source. What I found new was that Sherman says that he had large cans welded to the edge of the flight deck filled with medical supplies. These cans were the only sources of medical supplies (a few first aid kits from the forward part of the carrier were most likely used as well). The sickbay, located three decks down, was inaccessible due to bomb damage.
This is the first I’ve heard about the placement of these cans on the flight deck. Sherman gives the impression it was his idea. I need to research whether other carriers pre-positioned medical supplies as he did. I also want to learn what a WWII first aid kit on a carrier contained.
Lieutenant Commander Samuel Robert Sherman would receive the Navy Cross for his actions. There is no doubt in my mind that he saved the lives of many that day.
*I do not believe Captain Gehres would have meant to order his only doctor present on the flight deck off the ship. I continue to research how orders were given that day. The Air Officer either received the order directly from Captain Gehres or, more likely, a messenger verbally delivered it to him. Had the captain been asked, I believe he would have exempted Lt. Cmdr Sherman from the order.
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
