The Saga of the Franklin
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| Saga of the Franklin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Produced by | United States Navy |
Release date | 1945 |
Running time | 24 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Saga of the Franklin (1945) was a Kodachrome colour documentary film produced about the aircraft carrier USS Franklin which was hit by a Japanese dive bomber on March 19, 1945. Franklin was the most heavily-damaged carrier to survive World War II.
The film traces the career of the Franklin from construction to commissioning, and then follows her out to sea and combat. Some of the most harrowing footage in the film shows the aftermath of the Japanese bombing, when ammunition dumps aboard the carrier caught fire and began to explode. A sequence showing the ships chaplain, Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan, wearing a steel helmet while administering the last rites to a dying sailor is one of the most enduring images of World War II in the Pacific. Both O'Callahan and Lieutenant JG Donald A. Gary, were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions on the Franklin.
The film ends as a badly damaged Franklin, against all odds, reaches New York City for repairs.
See also
External links
- Amazon summary
- The short film "Saga of the Franklin" is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
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- 1945 films
- American World War II propaganda shorts
- American war films
- American films
- World War II aviation films
- Documentary films about aviation
- English-language films
- Documentary films about World War II
- World War II films based on actual events
- United States Navy in World War II films
- American black-and-white films
- War documentary film stubs