AFTER ACTION BLOG

USS FRANKLIN deck log 16 MAR 1945 0000 hours to 1600 hours. Log shows ship and Task Force en route to combat area. off the southern coast of Japan.

USS Franklin Deck Log 16 March 1945-Moving Toward Japan

This is the third in a series of posts based on USS Franklin's...
USS FRANKLIN deck log 15 MAR 1945 1000 hours to 1800 hours. Log shows ship and Task Force en route to combat area. off the southern coast of Japan.

USS Franklin Deck Log 15 March-Enroute To The Empire Area

This is the second in a series of daily blog posts drawing from...
14 March 1945 deck log of USS FRANKLIN for the time of 1201 midnight to 1600 hours. Discusses leaving Ulitihi Atoll, other ships accompanying her, gunnery practice, and air operations.

14 MARCH 1945 USS FRANKLIN SAILS TOWARD DESTINY

This is the first in a series of posts covering the period 14...
Arial photo of a line of US Essex-class carrriers moored parallel to each other in Ulithi Atoll. USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). Official U.S. Navy Photograph 80-G-294131

USS Franklin Arrives at Ulithi Atoll, 13 March 1945

Murderers' Row Third Fleet aircraft carriers at anchor in Ulithi Atoll, 8 December...
On the left, U.S. Aircraft CArriers: An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. On the right, Warbirds of the Sea: A History of Aircraft Carriers & Carrier-Based Aircraft by Walter A Musciano

World War II US Navy Carrier Classes-And More

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7jVfcbCxZE This is a very good overview of the different classes of US...
The cover of The BlueJackets' Manual 1944.

US Navy Pay Grades For Enlisted Men in 1944

The Bluejackets' Manual 1944. Author's photo I've been reading various histories of the...
Ship formation used during daylight of Task Force 58. In a round circle the carrier flag ship is at the center. To its port and starboard are two other carriers, with a light carrier behind it. Surrounding them are battleships, cruisers and destroyers. This formation, called 5-VD, is used when the probability of air attack is high and that of submarine attack is low.

US Navy Task Force 58 Ship Formations

Readers familiar with the US Pacific Fleet in World War II know that...

World War II Movies Are Not Always Accurate–That’s Okay

I am pausing my research into USS Franklin to discuss movies and TV...
The ship is floated out of her building dock immediately after christening, at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company shipyard, Newport News, Virginia, on 14 October 1943. Note WAVES officers in the foreground. The WAVES' Director, Lieutenant Commander Mildred H. McAfee, USNR, was Franklin's sponsor. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

USS Franklin Anniversary–And An Afternoon At The Museum (of the Pacific War)

When people think of December 7 as an anniversary, they usually remember the...
Selection of the books I'm using for research

Books About USS Franklin Or Its Crew

Recently I read a story about actor Sean Connery. He was asked what...