By DELL ARTHUR
Meeting Don Gary you wouldn’t think of
him as a hero but he was. During World War II, he was serving as a Lt(jg) aboard
the aircraft carrier “Franklin,” as an engineering officer—a job that would
prove to be the salvation of not only him but many others as well.
Gary
was known as a quiet, mild mannered man and practiced his job well. As an
engineering officer he knew his ship from top to bottom and it was a horrific
near fatal attack by a lone Japanese airplane on the Franklin that tested this
knowledge and courage beyond human endurance.
It
was December 1944 when he was first assigned to the Franklin. The ship was one
of 24 of the Essex class aircraft carriers that fought in many battles in the
Pacific against the Japanese. By the end of her career she received four Battle
Stars for action. But what the ship was most renowned for was her final battle
some 50 miles off the mainland of Japan. The date was March 19, 1945.
The
war was nearing the end when the Franklin early in the morning launched a
fighter attack against a military base located at Honshu. Once the airplanes
were in the air most of the ship’s crew was given an opportunity to catch some
rest, eat and relax until the flight returned. They had been called to action
12 times during the night and they were exhausted. The Captain, Leslie E. Gehres, gave the order for the battle
station crews to stay at their stations and keep a sharp eye against any
aggressor. The lull was irresistible and a sense of peace permeated throughout
the ship.
After the first fighters
and bombers were launched another group of 16 planes were sitting on the flight
deck warming their engines and getting ready for takeoff. All were fueled and
armed and the rear gasoline system on the carrier, flushed with fuel, was in
operation.
And then it happened.
A
low overcast shielded the carrier group when suddenly a lone Japanese plane
broke through the clouds and plunged down towards the Franklin. The attack
proved devastating and quick. As the enemy bomber screamed towards its target,
all the American ships in the fleet opened fire without effect. Relentlessly
the plane kept on its track and then released two bombs, both hitting the
Franklin. One bomb tore through the main deck down into the hangar deck causing
a massive explosion. Fuel and ammunition and bombs exploded adding to the awful
melee and confusion. Fire and explosions erupted throughout the deck burning
men to death and inflicting horrible injury to others. Only two men escaped the
carnage. As the fire spread the Franklin slowed to a stop mortally wounded.
Many
sailors were blown overboard and others jumped from the stricken ship believing
it was about to capsize. But many of the remaining crew stuck to their jobs
battling the flames as the carrier took a 13 degree list fighting against the
odds of sinking. Below decks men were trapped because of the smoke and fire and
it was then Gary distinguished himself of the title of “hero” by his remarkable
courage under the most terrible conditions imaginable. By putting his own life
on the line he was responsible for the saving of some 300 shipmates.
Inside
the ship the corridors were filled with intense smoke and heat. Gary, with his
engineering knowledge, was able to get to the lower decks and find men trapped.
He then, under the threat of more explosions, was able to find an escape route
enabling him to lead several men out. He then returned time and again under the
threat of his own death to lead other groups to safety as well.
Once he accomplished this
goal Gary then worked his way down to the boiler room and directed volunteer crewmen
to get one of the steam boilers operating giving the carrier the needed opportunity
to get up power.
With the attack finally
over the Franklin was taken into tow by the cruiser Pittsburgh. Finally the
carrier was able to get up enough steam and head out of the area under her own
power to safety at Ulithi Atoll for temporary repairs. From there she headed to
Pearl Harbor.
Once she was deemed
“seaworthy,” at Pearl, the carrier proceeded to the Brooklyn Navy Yard through
the Panama Canal. Once at the shipyard she was repaired to fighting condition
but never again saw action in World War II.
All in all over 800 men
died as a result of the attack. Most were never recovered and their burial was
at sea. After returning to the United States and repair this great ship was
used as an antisubmarine attack support carrier. But since she was never converted
to a “slant deck” enabling her to launch jets, she was deemed obsolete and
finally decommissioned and sold for scrap.
The great legacy that the
Franklin left for naval history was that she was the most severely damaged ship
of the war to survive and yet return to safety under her own power thanks to a
courageous crew.
As for Gary his exploits
were cited and he was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1946
President Harry Truman proudly put the medal around his neck and
congratulated him for his heroic action.
During his distinguished
naval career Gary finally retired at the rank of Commander. He died at the age
of 76 in 1977. In honor of his service a guided missile frigate, the USS Gary
was named after him.
It is an honor to have known and write about this great man.
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