And how. He attended Western High School in Rochester, New York, and Union High School in Newark, New York, before he enlisted with the help of his mother in the New York Naval Militia in 1914. Early on March 19, 1945 reports began flooding the Franklin from nearby ships that Japanese zeros were headed their direction. The fourth USS Franklin was a United States Navy screw frigate.The ship was launched in 1864, partially constructed from parts of the previous Franklin (1815). The saga of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Franklin constitutes an... 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Essex-class carrier, USS Franklin “Big Ben” was launched ten months later at Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia, and commissioned on January 31, 1944. Nixon. The carrier survived, returning to New York via the Panama Canal. But a ship is more than a hunk of steel. The hunk of steel plus the crew that lives on board it comprises the ship. Captain Gehres had accused many of those who had left the ship on 19 March 1945 of desertion, despite the fact that those who had jumped into the water to escape had done so to prevent a likely death by fire, or had been led to believe that "abandon ship" had been ordered. He sure got a lot of cheers for that.”. After being called to battle stations twelve times within six hours that night, Gehres downgraded the alert status to Condition III, allowing his men freedom to eat or sleep, although gunnery crews remained at their stations. James Holmes. (TOS movie: Star Trek Beyond) This vessel was one of a number of vessels named Franklin, for various persons and places that share that name, including Benjamin Franklin, a statesman of Earth history. Imagine that. He stayed aboard this ship until June 1919, when he was transferred to destroyers. Suppressing fire represents a crucial function, which is why the first thing a new sailor does after reporting aboard is qualify in rudimentary damage control. Every man knew this and yet none wavered. There, he rose to the rank of Commodore, the first aviator to achieve this rank. Among the dead on Franklin was a passenger, Captain Arnold J. Isbell, who was on his way to take command of Yorktown (CV-10) following his highly successful tour as commander of the USS Card (CVE-11) hunter-killer task group in the Atlantic. In the interim, however, dozens of secondary explosions spanning five hours transformed the flight and hangar decks into something out of Dante. It was a charnel house. Commissioned January 31, 1944 into the USN (USN) as USS Franklin CV-13 as the second ship named in honor of Benjamin Franklin with Captain James M. Shoemaker in command. [7], In those days, radar was not entirely reliable or capable of sensing planes in clouds and this caused problems on this occasion, with short-term blips appearing on screen, then disappearing again. All of the charges against the men of her crew were quietly dropped. WIB sea USS Franklin (NX-326) is a fictional starship featured in the film Star Trek Beyond (2016). Piloting the Essex-class ship was Captain Leslie Gerhres and one look at his photo and the footage of him aboard ship and you can tell he had a lofty opinion of himself. The vessel was decommissioned that year. USS Franklin, nicknamed Big Ben, was one of 24 Essex-class carriers, home to 3,500 crewmen and 100 aircraft, bristling with 5-inch and 40mm anti-aircraft guns and topped by a Douglas fir flight deck. The Imperial Japanese Navy met its doom at Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Her crew thought she’d surely capsize—but she didn’t. He was a bully, not a commander. The Captain of the Carrier USS ‘Franklin’ Is a Case Study in How Not to Lead Capt. USS Franklin lived a short but eventful life, joining the Pacific Fleet in mid-1944. He later directed around 100 sailors — including some blown overboard by bomb blasts — to return to Franklin, whereupon he demanded that they state in writing why they had “left this vessel while she was in action and seriously damaged when no order had been issued to abandon ship.”. The Special Edition model of the Franklin is available from Eaglemoss. The Franklin is a 22nd-century United Earth starship and is a precursor to the NX series, with the NX-01 Enterprise being the first … For the remainder of 1944, Franklin’s engagements read like a timeline of the war, South of the Japanese home islands. Mildred A. McAfee, USNR, Director of the WAVES; and commissioned on 31 January 1944, with Captain James M. Shoemaker in command. Despite receiving a last-minute warning of a "bogey" from USS Hancock, Gehres never ordered Franklin to general quarters, possibly for this reason. Launched October 14, 1943. Captain Gehres assumed command of Franklin at Ulithi on the heels of the October 1944 kamikaze strike. The attack on the Essex class carrier USS Franklin (CV-13), also known as "Big Ben," represents one of the most tragic, but heroic stories of World War II. Franklin was the first fleet carrier to absorb a direct strike from a Japanese kamikaze, in the aftermath of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Leslie Edward Gehres was a naval aviator who reached the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy, being one of the "mustang" officers who rose from enlisted man to admiral's rank. Bring the USS Franklin Home! He retired from the Navy in 1948 after 32 years of service and went into business with Ryan Aeronautical Company, now a division of Northrop Grumman, in San Diego, California. Gehres actions during this time lead him to be described as "a cautionary tale about the scourge of 'toxic leadership.'"[13]. It’s about materiel and methods, in other words. Gehres, along with ten of his officers and a single enlisted man from the Franklin's crew and air group, were subsequently awarded the Navy Cross for heroism in coping with Franklin's battle damage and keeping the ship afloat. That’s extreme toxicity. Franklin’s ordeal also yielded hard-won lessons about naval architecture and shipboard practices, and about firefighting and damage control in particular. Seldom does your humble scribe come away incensed from reading history. It could do little despite a flashy last-ditch effort or two to stem the American advance. For instance, it reveals much about the strategic and operational environment in Eurasian waters today. Indeed, the flattop is the most decorated U.S. Navy warship ever. Customs services and international tracking provided. Vtg Matchbook Cover Navy Ship USS Franklin D Roosevelt CV-42 Christmas 2869. It is not merely about the material dimension of naval warfare. Franklin had suffered the most severe damage and highest casualties experienced by any U.S. fleet carrier that survived World War II.[8]. In 1950, with Robert C. Wilson as his campaign manager, Gehres ran for Congress from San Diego and lost. Springer opines that his action “nearly tainted” the carrier’s gallant struggle to survive. [14], Here is the ribbon bar of Rear Admiral Leslie E. Gehres:[citation needed], With the entry of the United States into World War I, The Captain of the Carrier USS ‘Franklin’ Is a Case Study in How Not to Lead, "Red Sky at Morning: Horror and Heroism Aboard the USS Franklin", "The Terrifying Tale of How This U.S. Aircraft Carrier Nearly Sank (and It Was Not a Bomb or Torpedo)", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Refusing the Navy Cross, Chaplain O’Callahan was Forced to Accept the Medal of Honor, "Daily Appointment Sheet for President Harry S. Truman", "Davis-Monthan Aviation Field Register - Leslie E. Gehres", "Adm. Leslie Gehres Dies at 76; 'Unsinkable' Franklin Captain", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leslie_E._Gehres&oldid=991915163, American military personnel of World War I, Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States), Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States), Articles with dead external links from November 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 December 2020, at 14:14. On this day in 1945, USS Franklin is attacked by a Japanese dive bomber. A mass exodus to the cruiser ensued as those who defined themselves as nonessential fled. The skipper then stopped the evacuation. This article originally appeared at The National Interest. Leslie Edward Gehres (23 September 1898 – 15 May 1975) was a naval aviator who reached the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy, being one of the "mustang" officers who rose from enlisted man to admiral's rank. About 7:30 am, as efforts to battle the fires and sort out the chaos continued, Rear Admiral Ralph Davison, the commander of the Franklin’s task group, … In the end, then, this is a story with mixed lessons. The deck log — the official record of a ship’s doings — says otherwise. In June, she steamed via Pearl Harbor for Eniwetok Island where she joined TG 58.2. The Franklin originated as a United Earth starship in Earth Starfleet service in the 22nd century, notably as the first Warp 4 prototype. Bad leadership marred Franklin’s human component. Furnishing more portable pumps would let firefighters do their work should fireplugs fail. They appear from time to time, often as ship captains. This is a story worth telling and retelling. At 0654 the ship’s Combat Information Center reported a “bogey,” or unidentified aircraft, 30 miles off. Ship-wide communications were out, and in the confusion many crewmen believed “abandon ship” had been ordered. [4] Several men; including wounded, who had been blown off the ship by its huge explosions were later refused re-entry onto the ship. Captain Gehres came under intense scrutiny for his leadership and it was believed that Chaplain O’Callahan’s actions warranted the Medal of Honor but was kept at a Navy Cross so as not to embarrass the Captain. Installing more and longer fire hoses would bolster fire parties’ capacity to get at blazes in remote recesses of the ship. The crew eventually managed to restart propulsion, and Franklin made the fleet anchorage at Ulithi Atoll under her own power. [3], Gehres took a step down in rank to command an aircraft carrier, supposedly as he desired a shot against Imperial Japan. These were made by Captain Balthazar Edison. But the flattop was to endure her worst trial in March 1945, while operating with Task Force 58 off the Japanese seacoast. “The treatment of these Franklin crewmen,” concludes Springer, constituted “one of the greatest but least-known injustices involving the U.S. Navy in World War II.”. Leslie E. Gehres, who assumed command of Franklin at Ulithi on the heels of the October 1944 kamikaze strike. Aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) … Cruiser USS Santa Fe came alongside and executed a controlled crash with the flattop so seamen could pass across supplies, render such firefighting aid as they could, and take aboard Franklin crewmen. He must have realized he was in deep trouble when the Franklin was hit. This is a Pacific War story rich in insights for practitioners of sea power. These are the standard lessons of the affair. The aircraft would cover that distance in under three minutes, scant reaction time for the best-trained crew. August 17, 2017 He was decorated with the Navy Cross, its loftiest award for martial valor, and ultimately promoted to a rear admiral. With the entry of the United States into World War I his unit was mobilized on 6 April 1917 and he served on the cruiser USS Salem and on battleships USS Massachusetts and USS Indiana, where he received further naval training. The others had been brought back on board either before or during the stop at Ulithi. (Star Trek Beyond) (ST vid… The saga of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Franklin constitutes an exception. They did so in large part because they believed Franklin was jinxed following the suicide strike. It can deploy shore-based implements of sea power to punish a hostile navy cruising off its shores. Thankfully the Navy leadership ignored his legal maneuvering. Tokyo waged an “anti-access” strategy long before the term was invented. For the next five years, Gehres served aboard destroyers USS Tingey, USS Gillis, USS Aulick and USS Jacob Jones. The captain’s after-action report and the official war damage report indicate that the skies were clear the morning of March 19. Yet Gehres never ordered Franklin to general quarters — meaning the bombs struck the flattop when she was less than fully ready for battle. Removal of CVN 71 Captain May Have Violated Military Whistleblower Law Yesterday the U.S. Navy announced that it removed the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt after he raised the alarm over concern for the sailors on his ship, which is in the midst of … On the morning of March 19 a “Judy” dive bomber eluded the fleet’s air defenses, dumping two bombs on a Franklin whose decks were crowded with fully armed, fully fueled aircraft preparing to raid sites on Kyushu. They put themselves ahead of the institution, and they deploy leadership and management tactics that advance their personal interests — even at the expense of colleagues or subordinates. More high-capacity foam systems would help control and extinguish flaming fuel. By Michael D. Hull. Thereafter, Gehres was transferred to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where he reported for naval flight training. Recovery operations were fitful under these circumstances. On March 3, 1945, the 27,100-ton aircraft carrier USS Franklin churned out of Pearl Harbor and headed westward for the war zone. Rivers of burning fuel sluiced into the hangar deck and beneath from fractured pipes. On the last day of June 1944, she sortied for carrier strikes on the Bonin Islands in support of the subsequent Mariana Islands assault. Gehres and his noxious brand of leadership. It’s been said a ship captain is the world’s last absolute monarch once underway. These are all valuable insights. The resulting fire and explosions killed 807 and wounded more than 487, the total casualties representing over a third of the carrier's personnel complement. From United States +C $26.06 shipping. At last, at 0708, lookouts on board USS Hancock positively identified the Judy. Over 800 perished out of a crew of around 3,400 sailors and aviators. When Santa Fe came alongside he ordered the wounded evacuated and then, writes Springer, issued an order that “could not possibly have been more vague.” Gehres directed the air officer to evacuate anyone who “would not be needed to save the ship.”. Evidently you don’t know your jobs and I’m going to do my best to shape up this crew!’ We just stood there and couldn’t believe our ears. Two years later, they switched roles and won. C $13.19. He was transferred to the Regular Navy in September 1918, where he served aboard the battleship USS North Dakota, which operated on escort duty with Atlantic Fleet. But airfields in the home islands could act as unsinkable if stationary aircraft carriers once U.S. Navy task forces came within reach. Franklin was commanded by Captain Leslie … Franklin had gone to general quarters a dozen times in six hours, so Gehres relaxed the ship’s posture to allow the crew to get a hot meal. He was relieved of command of Card in July 1944 by Captain Rufus C. Young and entered the Pacific war where he was to take command of the fast attack carrier USS Yorktown. Toxic leaders leave the place worse than they found it. Speculation at the time was that O'Callahan was offered the Navy Cross in lieu of the Medal of Honor since his heroic actions on the USS Franklin highlighted perceived lapses in leadership by Gehres, which reflected poorly on the Navy. To oversimplify, the chief lesson was — equip ships with more of everything. According to the 2011 documentary USS Franklin: Honor Restored, Gehres was universally excoriated for his leadership deficiencies and his tendency to blame his crew for the near loss of his ship. On the bridge was the ship’s commander, Captain Leslie E. Gehres, forty-seven years old and the first “mustang” (former enlisted man) to become a carrier skipper. Captain Gehres was an incompetent fool who tried to shift attention onto the crew, probably as a smoke screen to divert attention away from the fact that the Franklin was nearly sunk because of his actions. When I reported at the Surface Warfare Officers’ School a few brief years ago, my check-in interview with the skipper amounted to this — leave the place better than you found it. As news of the USS Franklin broke and after subsequent investigations after the war, the public began to learn of the details of one of the most devastating attacks on a US carrier. He was assigned to the 6th Division, Third Battalion. Gehres threatened to court martial men who had been blown overboard, because they had not been given the order to abandon ship. [5], In 1945, Franklin made airstrikes on the Japanese homeland in support of the Okinawa landings, later launching sweeps and strikes against Kagoshima and Izumi on southern Kyūshū. Nearly tainted? We normally think of Franklin’s history as a parable about the importance of shipboard firefighting and damage control. The ship was commanded by Captain Balthazar Edison and vanished during a mission in the Gagarin Radiation Belt, an incident later taught to future Starfleet officers at Starfleet Academy. Yet this was far from the Navy’s finest hour. Buy It Now. … The blasts killed the damage-control team while disabling fire fighting equipment on the hangar deck. Three minutes later it broadcast directly to the nearby carrier USS Franklin: “Bogie closing you!” That last report never made it to the bridge, and the Franklin’s captain never called his crew to battle stations. (Star Trek Beyond) Log entrants 2160s. According to crew accounts relayed by Springer, as many as 300 sailors jumped ship in Bremerton, Washington, when the carrier made port there for shipyard repairs. In 1776, the Franklin, under Captain James Mugford, captured the “Hope” loaded with military supplies and powder, intrenching tools, and gun carriages, and delivered these supplies to the Continental Army. Leslie Gehres left his warship worse off WIB sea August 17, 2017 James Holmes U.S. Navy 93 World War II 112 Gehres had spent most of World War II in the Aleutians, "where men had nicknamed him Custer for his aggressive air wing tactics and what many thought was erratic behavior". I don't want to alarm you, but a key member of the USS Enterprise crew bites the dust in Star Trek Beyond. [4] Gehres was a strict disciplinarian whose autocracy was disliked by many of Franklin's crew, and some even consider his leadership as "toxic". Captain Isbell was killed in April 1945 in the Japanese air attack on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin while on a temporary duty assignment awaiting to assume command of Yorktown. It supplies insight into material matters, along with examples of grit and fortitude. Assigning more people to a damage-control organization would give it a better chance of withstanding damage. [14], Gehres was chairman of the San Diego County Republican Central Committee for 12 years, organizing support for former Governor (later President) Ronald Reagan, former Senator George Murphy and former Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Gehres was then assigned to the Fourth Reserve Officers Class at United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. It gets worse. And the first thing your new commanding officer does is upbraid you and your shipmates while insulting his predecessor in his presence. On 7 November, 1944, Gehres took command of the USS Franklin (CV-13), relieving Captain J. M. Shoemaker at the change of command ceremony, where Gehres also criticized the crew for failing to shoot down the kamikaze that had damaged their ship. Hancock radioed Franklin: “Bogey closing you!” The dive bomber was 12 miles off at that point, and inbound fast. In part, though, they fled to escape Capt. USS FRANKLIN was launched by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va., on 14 October 1943; sponsored by Lt. Cmdr. He founded the “Big Ben 704 Club” to honor the crewmen who had remained on board, ostentatiously excluding everyone else, barred evacuees from attending the memorial service for fallen shipmates, made sure no evacuee received a medal, and laid the legal groundwork for courts-martial against officers and chief petty officers who took refuge in Santa Fe. Captain Gehres retired as a rear admiral, never taking an overseas assignment or command of another US Navy ship again.[12]. [11], Upon Franklin's arrival in New York, a long-brewing controversy over the ship's crew's conduct during her struggles finally came to a head. Dozens of your shipmates are dead, dozens more wounded. No bad deed went unrewarded in the case of Leslie Gehres. 11 as an Essex-class aircraft carrier. To wit — a foe with no navy of consequence can still exert influence at sea. Pre-Owned. You didn’t do your duty; you’re incompetent, lazy and careless. He is most noted as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, which was badly damaged by a Japanese air attack in March 1945, where his leadership tenure has been seen as a "a cautionary tale about the scourge of 'toxic leadership.'"[1]. Here was a Navy captain who assumed command of a wounded vessel, shattered its culture, scapegoated his way out of high-seas disaster, and in fact garnered promotions and high honors for his trouble.