Japanese Attack on Aircraft Carrier Uss Franklin (1944)

Synopsis

Made by the U.S. Navy, this silent film shows the aircraft carrier USS Franklin both before, during and after the Japanese attack that crippled and nearly sank the ship. The USS Franklin (CV/CVA/CVS-13, AVT-8), nicknamed "Big Ben," was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in January 1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific War, earning four battle stars. Movie footage of the actual attack was included in the 1949 film Task Force starring Gary Cooper. After the attack, she returned to the U.S. mainland for repairs, missing the rest of the war; she was decommissioned in 1947. While in reserve, she was reclassified as an attack carrier (CVA), then an antisubmarine carrier (CVS), and finally an aircraft transport (AVT), but was never modernized and never saw active service again. Franklin and Bunker Hill (damaged by a kamikaze) were the only Essex-class carriers not to see active service as aircraft carriers after World War II. The Franklin was sold for scrap in 1966. See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: "

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

6 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage