Overview

March 19, 1945 Off the coast of Japan, the USS Franklin had just launched its aircraft in an attack of the shipping industry in Kobe Harbor when a single enemy aircraft pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the ship known as Big Ben. In a matter of seconds, the aircrafts 250kg bomb would strike the Franklin, piercing the deck and setting off a chain reaction of exploding ordnance and aviation fuel. Afire, listing heavily to starboard, and with over 1,000 killed or wounded, it appeared as if the USS Franklin would find her end among the waters of the Pacific. The events that followed, however, would make the story of Big Ben one of the most dramatic and inspiring in naval history. Now available in paperback from historian Joseph Springer, Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II tells the heroic tale of the near-miraculous efforts that went into saving the USS Franklinfrom the selfless contributions of the hundreds of officers and enlisted men who voluntarily remained onboard to the assistance of the USS Santa Fe in rescuing crewmen from the sea, fighting the fires, and closing in alongside the Franklin to take off the numerous wounded and nonessential personnel. Told in the survivors words, the story of the legendary ships arduous journey from Okinawa to the Brooklyn Navy Yard unfolds in harrowing detail. It is a tremendous tale of endurance and seamanship, and unlike any in the proud history of the U.S. Navy.

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9780760339763

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WASHINGTON TIMES Joseph Springer brings to life one of the most exciting stories of World War II as seen and told from the perspective of the officers and sailors who served on board the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Franklin. WARSHIPS INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW At the core of this gripping account are eyewitness recollections of sailors, fighting to ensure their own survival or that of the ship. It is a warts-and-all portrayal of an epic fight to save a ship, not sparing those it deems incompetent or unduly disciplinarian.

<p> NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS <br> A fitting tribute to a crew who late in World War II took seriously the admonition immortalized more than a century before: 'Don't Give Up the Ship.' An excellent weaving of oral histories with factual research, this riveting account of tragedy and courage under horrific circumstances. <br><br> THE NYMAS REVIEW <br> [In Inferno ] we have a very different story, an epic of human courage and endurance, as the crew and those of other vessels, work desperately to save the ship, a task at which was ultimately successful, so that the ship survived to make home. The author has skillfully blended some very fine historical research and writing with numerous first-hand accounts by surviving crewmen to tell the story of the war at sea. <br>

NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS A fitting tribute to a crew who late in World War II took seriously the admonition immortalized more than a century before: 'Don't Give Up the Ship.' An excellent weaving of oral histories with factual research, this riveting account of tragedy and courage under horrific circumstances. THE NYMAS REVIEW [In Inferno] we have a very different story, an epic of human courage and endurance, as the crew and those of other vessels, work desperately to save the ship, a task at which was ultimately successful, so that the ship survived to make home. The author has skillfully blended some very fine historical research and writing with numerous first-hand accounts by surviving crewmen to tell the story of the war at sea. WASHINGTON TIMES Joseph Springer brings to life one of the most exciting stories of World War II as seen and told from the perspective of the officers and sailors who served on board the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Franklin. WARSHIPS INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW At the core of this gripping account are eyewitness recollections of sailors, fighting to ensure their own survival or that of the ship. It is a warts-and-all portrayal of an epic fight to save a ship, not sparing those it deems incompetent or unduly disciplinarian. WORLD WAR II DATABASE I was immediately impressed by Springer's writing style, which was straight-forward but was done without sacrificing detail. He professed that his interest in the history of USS Franklin had been nearly life-long, and it showed. The book delivered in clear detail everything encompassing the ship's history, configuration throughout the war, and the environments she had been in. Springer also succeeded in providing just enough information about the Pacific War so to shine light on why Franklin engaged in actions that she did...a history told with harrowing and gripping detail. NAVAL HISTORY Joseph Springer brings to life one of the most exciting stories of World War II as seen and told from the perspective of officers and Sailors who served on board the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Franklin. The author has crafted a well-researched and easy-to-read oral history that not only pays tribute to the men who sailed in the Franklin but to the legacy of naval service and its values of honor, courage, and commitment...This book is a fitting tribute to the crew members of the Franklin and all the Sailors who fought during World War II.

Author Information

Joseph A. Springer retired from the United States Air Force after twenty-two years as an Aircraft Weapons Specialist. He now specializes in military oral history, having interviewed more than one thousand combat veterans over the last thirty-five years. Joes first book, Black Devil Brigade, tells the oral history of the First Special Service Force in World War II. Joe and his wife, Susan, reside in West Central Illinois.

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