AFTER ACTION BLOG

A crowed deck of planes, pilots, and crews of Air Group 13 in October 1944. The first nine are Hellcat fighters, the ones in the back are Helldivers and Avengers. Franklin would be struck by a Kamikaze on 30 October 1944.

10-15 October 1944: USS Franklin Attacks

October 10, 2023
Air Group-13 Hellcats, Avengers, and Helldivers prepare to strike the Japanese in the...
October 1944 / USS Franklin
Cover of Richard B. Frank's book, Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942

Historian Richard B. Frank On The Asia-Pacific War

October 6, 2023
My copy of the cover of Richard B. Frank's book, Tower of Skulls:...
Richard B. Frank
Men dressed in odd clothing preparing to participate in the Crossing of the Line Ceremony

USS Franklin Initiated Into The “Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep”

September 20, 2023
Cast of characters during a Crossing the Line Ceremony George Prater Collection, Naval...
USS Franklin
Two officers hold the USS Franklin's flag in April 1945. The flag, which flew from the island during the 19 March attack, is encased in glass within a wooden frame. (Screenshot from a US Navy film.)

Friday Night Links 15 September 2023

September 15, 2023
Two officers hold the USS Franklin's flag in April 1945. The flag flew...
Books, Movies, Videos, and other media
F4U-1D of VF-5 on USS Franklin (CV-13) 1945 receiving permission to take off from member of the deck crew. US Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation. The white diamond on the plane's tail identifies it as being from Franklin.

USS Franklin Fields More Fighters (Part 2 of 2)

September 9, 2023
(Read part 1: USS Franklin Aircraft: Corsairs, Helldivers, And More!) After finishing her...
Air Group5 / USS Franklin
11 Pilots of Torpedo Squadron 13 (VT-13) in their ready room aboard USS Franklin (CV-13), 24 October 1944, just before the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. They are watching as the position of the Japanese fleet is posted. VT-13's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Larry French, is second from the left, with a navigation board beside his chair. Note life vests, with die marker pouches, worn by several of these men. Other life vests, and .38 caliber revolvers, are hanging on the bulkhead. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, 80-G-290733

USS Franklin Aircraft: Corsairs, Helldivers, And More! (Part 1 of 2)

August 31, 2023
Pilots of Torpedo Squadron 13 (VT-13) in their ready room aboard USS Franklin...
Air Group 13 / Air Group 5 / USS Franklin
The DVD Cover of Apocalypse '45 showing USS Franklin wracked by tremendous explosions and towering clouds of smoke and flame

Yes, USS Franklin Appears In “Apocalypse ‘45” Documentary

August 11, 2023
The photo on the cover is of USS Franklin on fire after being...
Books, Movies, Videos, and other media / USS Franklin

Captain Leslie Gehres—Martinet Or Magnificent?

August 6, 2023
Commodore Leslie Gehres shown with his Distinguished Flying Cross awarded for his actions...
Admiral James S. Russell / Captain Leslie Gehres / Stephen Jurika / USS Franklin
“Grunge Heroes” by Stephen Wolfson for Creative Commons was generated by the Midjourney Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform with the text prompt “a grunge band from the 1990s made up of superheroes.” CC dedicates any rights it holds to the image to the public domain.

Embracing Artificial Intelligence-Three Tips To Survive The (R)evolution

July 24, 2023
“EU Pixelated” by Creative Commons was cropped from an image generated using Artificial...
Artificial Intelligence / Emerging Technologies / Research
Lt. Cmdr Russell flying over a glacier near Prince William Sound. August 1942. US Navy photo

James Russell’s Influences On USS Franklin

July 18, 2023
Official Photo of Admiral James Russell, who, as a Lt. Cmdr, just prior...
Admiral James S. Russell / Leadership / USS Franklin

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