Captain Leslie Gehres Assumes Command of USS Franklin
Captain Leslie Gehres assumed command of USS Franklin (CV-13) at the Ulithi Anchorage on November 7, 1944. Just a little more than a week after a kamikaze “body-crashed” the ship killing 56 and wounding 60. Gehres was the first Essex-class carrier captain not to be a Naval Academy graduate. He had come up through the ranks.
Last November, I published this blog post, Was Captain Leslie Gehres, USN, Ill-Treated?
Here’s an earlier post, Captain Leslie Gehres—Martinet or Magnificent?
Captain Leslie Gehres—A Complicated Man
Most of the controversy around Gehres is that he accused the men who left the burning ship on March 19, 1945, of cowardice. In fact, exploding ordinance and aviation gas blew some of the men off the ship, while others had the proverbial dilemma of choosing the Devil (being killed by advancing flames and explosions) or the Deep Blue Sea. They chose the deep blue sea, and destroyers or cruisers picked up the survivors.
Captain Gehres would receive the Navy Cross for his actions on March 19, 1945. One of those actions was declining his admiral’s suggestion to abandon ship, which saved the lives of dozens of men trapped below decks. He also brought the ship home under its own power.
Still, many of the ship’s crew who left the ship never forgave him for what they considered to be ill-treatment. I’m still documenting what happened and will share more details in the book.
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 her crew, I will discuss the lessons we can learn in leadership and decision-making.
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-Glenn
