Trial by Fire by P.D Deutermann:
This is the story of the USS Franklin, the most heavily damaged US ship in WW2 that did NOT sink.
Why this book? Franklin is one of 24 ships of the USS Essex class. Those we know served on Essexes:
1. John O'Grady served on the USS Shangri-La 1944-1945
2. John Sherwood (Kitty's son) served on the USS Hornet (this is the second Hornet, the first was sunk in 1942)
Interesting story related to this: Uncle Frank O'Grady served in US Army in the military police (MPs) for most of WW2, stationed in Pearl Harbor (he was NOT there for the Dec 7 1941 attack). Frank was rather lucky: the unit he was originally assigned to, the 27th Infantry Division, would see some of the worst combat in the Pacific. MPs did not go to combat.
When the brand-new USS Shangri-La came into port in March 1945, Frank managed to finagle a visit to his brother John on board, pulling up alongside in his US Army green jeep.
After several hours catching up with John on board, Frank was departing and noticed a US Navy grey jeep on the flight deck. He didn't give it a second thought until he got down on the dock and noticed his jeep was gone. Then he recalled the jeep on the deck, and how the paint seemed wet. As he recalled it: "those bastards stole my jeep!"
On a far more sobering note, as all these American sailors confidently swaggered off to fight Japan in their brand new carrier, Frank had seen the Franklin come into port earlier that month, after almost sinking. The Franklin, too, had been a near-brand new carrier when she had left just in February 1945. She arrived back a wreck: over 800 sailors dead, as many missing, only 700 of the original crew of 3600 left on board.
Franklin would travel all the way back to Brooklyn for an emergency re-fit to get her ready for the coming invasion of Japan. Of all people, Frank and John's brother Henry claimed that he worked on the Franklin.
The work on the Franklin was an emergency situation, three shifts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ... until August 9th 1945, when all work stopped.
Suddenly, the Franklin was no longer needed. She would not sail again.
