FRANKLIN COMES HOME

The saga of the most decorated ship in United States naval history - the aircraft carrier USS "Franklin", which survived an air attack that should have proved fatal. Her agony began in the early morning hours of 19th March 1945, when a lone Japanese aircraft dropped two bombs on the flight deck, setting off explosions that not only destroyed the aircraft ready for takeoff but penetrated the hangar filled with fuelled-up aircraft laden with bombs. More than 830 men on board perished and 300 were wounded - a total casualty figure of more than half the ship's complement. For their bravery, the crew received more medals and commendations than any crew had from a single action, and here A A Hoehling records their deeds with telling realism.