AFTER ACTION BLOG

USS Franklin, with bunting draped underneath her bow, is floated out of dry dock on 14 October 1943.

USS Franklin Commissioned 14 October 1943

The ship is floated out of her building dock immediately after christening, at...
Two carriers burning after separate kamikaze strikes. USS Franklin (CV-13), at right, and USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) afire after being hit by Japanese kamikaze suicide planes, while operating off the Philippines on 30 October 1944. Photographed from USS Brush (DD-745). US Navy 80-G-326798

USS Franklin Has A Busy October

Air Group-13 Hellcats, Avengers, and Helldivers prepare to strike the Japanese in the...
Plaque honoring USS Franklin displayed at Museum of the Pacific War. Photo by Glenn Ross

“Those Who Cannot Remember History Are Doomed To Repeat It”—G. Santayana

USS Franklin is listing after being attacked on March 19, 1945. Photo taken from...
A Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter makes condensation rings as it awaits the take-off flag aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10), 20 November 1943. The plane is from Fighting Squadron Five (VF-5). Yorktown was then hitting targets in the Marshall Islands to cover the landings in the Gilberts. VF-5 would serve onboard Franklin in 1945. By that time, flying Corsairs.

USS Franklin Supports Peleliu Invasion, September 1944

The view of Peleliu shows how much of the island is dominated by...
Undated page from USS Franklin decklog showing burial at sea on 31 October 1944 of those crewmembers killed the day before by a Kamikaze attack.

Burials At Sea by USS Franklin, 1944

USS Franklin's deck log (p1) 31 October 1944. The day before, she had...
(DD-674) Coming alongside USS Tarawa (CVS-40) to refuel at sea, 25 April 1959. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Catalog #: USN 1046540

USS HUNT Action Report-Aiding USS Franklin

Page 1 of USS HUNT Action Report for March 1945. US National Archives...
Shadow box conaining the Purple Heart, dog tag, Infantryman's combat badge and other ribbons from Sergeant Maury Ross. He saw combat while serving in the 102nd "Ozark" Infantry division in WWII.

Remembering My Father On National Purple Heart Day

A shadow box containing military ribbons, a dog tag, badges, and a Purple...
USS Franklin nearly obscured by smoke and flames after 19 March attack US Navy photo 80-G-49131

Farrell L. Kluttz Narrated An Enjoyable Oral History

There are times when research is tedious. There are other times when it...
Admiral Nimitz visiting Guadalcanal shown holding a Samurai sword. The US Navy's ability to provide logistics was a key reason why the Japanese were defeated there.

2024 Admiral Nimitz Annual Conference

Portrait of Admiral Chester Nimitz. (Author's photo.) I have attended all but one...
Admiral Mitscher's one page endorsement of Task Group 58.2's action report of 4 July 1944. In it, he endorses three of four of the recommendations.

How Action Reports Helped The US Navy Defeat The Japanese

First page of the Task Group 58.2 Action Report covering the attacks on...