Disobedient USS Franklin Sailor Put on Bread and Water

March 9, 2026 | Glenn |
Image shows a portion of the 9 March 1945 USS Franklin Deck Log for the hours of 12PM to 4PM local time. The excerpt mentions a sailor being sentenced to 20 days of solitary confinement in the ship's brig and being served only bread and water. The sailor would have been in the brig during the 19 March attack. He appears to have survived the attack, but we don't know how he got out of the brig.
USS Franklin Deck Log excerpt for 9 March 1945 for the hours of 12 PM to 4 PM stating that a sailor had been convicted of disobedience and threatening a petty officer. He was convicted and given 20 days in solitary confinement. This would have covered the period of the 19 March attack.

Eighty-one years ago today, 9 March 1945, USS Franklin (CV-13) was headed to Ulithi Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. She was one of 16 US Navy carriers and more than 90 other ships making up Task Force 58. They left Ulithi on 14 March heading to the coast of southern Japan, where their mission was to destroy or degrade as many Japanese military assets as possible prior to the 1 April invasion of Okinawa.

In reading the deck log for 9 March 1945, this entry leapt out at me:

1333 published findings and sentence in the case of Nelson, William F., S2c, 801 63 74, USNR, tried by deck court for disobedience of orders and threatening a petty officer. , finding -specification provided by plea, sentenced to solitary confinement on bread and water for 20 days with a full ration every fifth day; approved by convening authority 7 March 1945. 1333 By order of commanding officer was placed in solitary confinement on bread and water, with full ration every fifth day, in execution of sentence of deck court.

I can find no mention in the decklogs up through the 19 March attack that Nelson’s sentence was commuted; he is not listed as KIA on 19 March, evidently, he survived. I see no mention of him in any book I’ve read so far, including those that contain oral histories.

If any friend or family member knows his story of how he got out of the brig after the attack, I’d love to talk with you. Use the contact form on my homepage to email me.

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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Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. Thanks for reading.  

-Glenn

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