The Franklin Comes Home

This is the story of the most decorated warship in U.S. naval history - the aircraft carrier Franklin, which survived an air attack that should have proved fatal. Her agony began in the early morning hours of March 19, 1945, when a lone Japanese plane dropped two bombs on the flight deck - setting off explosions that not only destroyed the planes ready for takeoff but penetrated the hangar deck, filled with gassed-up aircraft loaded with bombs. More than 830 men on board perished and 300 were wounded - a total casualty figure of more than half the ship's complement. For their bravery - the crew received more medals and commendations than any crew had from a single action, and here A. A. Hoehling records their deeds with telling realism. He has filled the book with the heroic actions of men like Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Donald Gary, who alone saved several hundred lives by repeatedly returning belowdecks to lead choking, terrified crew members to safety.