The Ship That Would Not Die

In March of 1945, the Pacific War was reaching its final, most desperate phase. The United States Navy had systematically dismantled the Japanese Empire’s defensive perimeter, leapfrogging across the Pacific with a series of hard-fought island battles. By this stage, American forces had already taken Iwo Jima and were preparing for the invasion of Okinawa, the last major stepping stone before a potential invasion of Japan itself. The Japanese military, recognizing the existential threat to the homeland, responded with increasing ferocity, utilizing kamikaze attacks and bolstering their defenses with every available asset. In this theater of war, Task Force 58, the fast carrier striking force of the U.S. Navy, played a pivotal role in ensuring Japanese air power was neutralized before it could disrupt these operations.

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The strategic objective in March 1945 was clear: suppress Japanese airfields, destroy their remaining fleet assets, and prepare for the Okinawa invasion. U.S. carriers launched relentless air strikes against the Japanese home islands, targeting airfields, industrial centers, and military installations. This was no small feat. Japan’s anti-air defenses were still formidable, and its pilots, though fewer in number, fought with an almost suicidal determination. The USS Franklin (CV-13), an Essex-class aircraft carrier, was at the heart of this effort. She had already survived significant combat damage during previous operations, but her role in striking at Japan itself placed her in extreme danger. On March 19, 1945, that danger became reality when she suffered one of the most devastating attacks in U.S. naval history.

As dawn broke on March 19, 1945, the USS Franklin was positioned approximately fifty miles off the Japanese coast, closer than any other American carrier had operated at that point. The crew had been under near-constant strain from battle conditions, launching and recovering aircraft day and night. Morale was a mixture of exhaustion and hardened determination. The ship was in the process of launching a strike against Japanese targets when the attack began.

A single Japanese aircraft, taking advantage of the low cloud cover and the intensity of ongoing operations, slipped through undetected. At approximately 7:08 a.m., the enemy plane dropped two 550-pound bombs onto the flight deck of the Franklin, packed with fully fueled and armed aircraft. The first bomb detonated near the forward section of the hangar deck, ripping through multiple levels of the ship. The second bomb struck further aft, igniting a catastrophic chain reaction. The explosions engulfed the carrier in fire, triggering secondary blasts as fuel and ordnance ignited, turning the Franklin into a floating inferno.

The immediate damage was overwhelming. The initial blasts killed hundreds instantly, while fires raged uncontrollably across the flight deck, hangar deck, and interior compartments. Aviation fuel spilled and ignited, feeding the flames that consumed aircraft, munitions, and men. The ship’s list increased as damage control parties scrambled to contain the chaos. Many crew members were trapped below decks, struggling to find air and escape routes amid the smoke and heat.

Despite the devastation, the surviving crew fought back with extraordinary bravery. Sailors, many with severe burns and injuries, worked relentlessly to suppress the fires and prevent the ship from capsizing. Lieutenant Donald Gary, later awarded the Medal of Honor, led trapped men through smoke-filled compartments to safety. The ship’s captain, Leslie Gehres, refused to abandon ship, rallying the remaining crew to keep the Franklin afloat. Other ships in the task force, particularly the light cruiser USS Santa Fe, came alongside to assist, rescuing men who had jumped overboard and providing critical support in the battle to save the carrier.

For hours, explosions continued as stored ammunition and fuel erupted. The Franklin was dead in the water, her decks gutted, her superstructure battered, and over 800 of her crew either dead or mortally wounded. And yet, miraculously, she did not sink. Against all odds, damage control efforts stabilized the situation, and by the next day, she was able to get underway under her own power, limping away from the Japanese coast. Escorted back to Ulithi and later to Pearl Harbor, the Franklin would ultimately return to the U.S. mainland for extensive repairs.

The attack on the USS Franklin remains one of the most severe single incidents of damage suffered by a U.S. carrier that did not result in the ship’s loss. In recognition of their heroism, numerous awards were given to the Franklin’s crew, including Medals of Honor, Navy Crosses, and Silver Stars. Despite surviving the war, the ship never returned to active service. She was decommissioned in 1947 and ultimately scrapped in 1966.

Memorials to the Franklin and her crew exist in various locations, including plaques and exhibits in naval museums. For those who served aboard her, the memory of that day remains a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the unyielding spirit of the U.S. Navy. The USS Franklin, though battered and broken, never surrendered—earning her a place in history as “the ship that wouldn’t die.”