The U.S.S. Franklin (WWII)

On March 19, 1945, the U.S.S. Franklin was attacked by bombers off the coast of Japan. Two bombs were dropped on the ship, to catastrophic effect.

From the U.S.S. Franklin Museum:

"Before dawn on 19 March 1945 the U.S.S. Franklin, who had maneuvered closer to the Japanese mainland than had any other U.S. carrier during the war, launched a fighter sweep against Honshu and later a strike against shipping in Kobe Harbor. Suddenly, a single enemy plane pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the gallant ship to drop two semi-armor piercing bombs. One struck the flight deck centerline, penetrating to the hangar deck, effecting destruction and igniting fires through the second and third decks, and knocking out the combat information center and airplot. The second hit aft, tearing through two decks and fanning fires, which triggered ammunition, bombs and rockets."

Modern estimates are that 807 men perished and 487 were wounded. Amongst the casualties were two Marion County residents-- S2 Allen Roger Burhamer and S2 Anthony Hoffman.

"Afire and listing after she was hit by a Japanese air attack while operating off the coast of Japan, 19 March 1945. Photographed from USS Santa Fe (CL-60), which was alongside assisting with firefighting and rescue work. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives."

For more information, check out:

• CVS 13 - USS Franklin: LOTS of photos, before, during, and after the damage
• Survival: The Story of the USS Franklin
• U.S.S. Franklin CV-13 War Damage Report No. 56 (declassified): gives extreme detail about what happened that day, transcribed from a book. See narrative D
• USS Franklin (CV-13) Memorial
• USS Franklin Museum Association