davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1945-05-18

into the water. We circled our car
rier, carried out our strike and then
lighted on another carrier"
On the day following the attack,
according to the Navy Departments
account, the crew got the engines
working and built up . speed of
23 knots. Next day the Franklin
took aboard 800 Of the men who
had been put OF on other vessels,
headed for home under her own
power.
Built by the Newport News Ship
building & Drydock Co., the Frank
lin was launched October "A, 1943.
with Capt. Mildred McAfee Of the
WAVES as her sponsor.
Last October IA. on the anniver-
sary Of her launching, she was at
tackled by two Japanese torpedo
planes while taking part in aItwo-
day strike against Formosa. She
escaped major damage then. but a
few days later took a direct hit
on her flight deck during the bat
tie for Leyte Gulf. She returned
to Puget Sound Navy Yard for re-
pairs and had just gone into ac-
ton again when the latest attack
on her occurred.
Evening star., 1945-05-18


blast and almost suffocated by
smoke. He was uninjured.
"I won't abandon this ship he
told his commanding officers"
Captains Account.
An Associated Press dispatch
from Pearl Harbor last night gave
Capt Gehres' account of the trag-
edy, and particularly the part played
in it by Father OCallahan. 1t read
in part:
eve had about so tons of bombs
torpedoes and rockets and about SO
tons of other stuff aboard and 1t all
went up the captain said.
The first explosion knocked me
down and when I got to the bridge
the flames were shooting out of the
hangar deck and enveloped the
whole forward flight deck
"'All the explosions shook the ship
pretty badly and knocked a lot OF
people of into the water. Some OF
the stuff dropped through to the
hangar deck and one explosion killed
every one forward on the hangar
deck.
Popped Like Firecrackers.
"'The smaller stuff, the 20 and
so nm. machine gun ammunition
was popping around the bridge like
strings Of flrecrackers going OF.
about O'Clock we transferred
Admiral Ralph Dawson and his flag
staff to another ship. BY that time
the men in the engine rooms were
collapsing; it was about 100 de-
grees down there and filled with
smoke.
"I told them to set all instru-
ments so that we could keep steam
ing, and get out. We were heading
straight for Japan and couldn't do
anything about it because we
couldn't steer, but we had to keep
moving.
1--WE kept right on running for
about As minutes, although there
was nobody in the engine rooms.
Then we went dead in the water
Some Jumped Overheard.
MANY of the men jumped over
board or were blown overheard and
some were picked up by other ships.
Some time later the cruiser
Evening star., 1945-05-18

officers wardroom when the bomb
hit, and so escaped injury He wrote
Il was spared seeing the bombs
hit. Details were obtained by inter-
viewing witnesses. Most on the
upper decks, who survived, were
knocked fiat by the blasts that fol-
lowed and were so stunned that few
could tell exactly what happened.
Standing several thousand yards
away on the Santa Fe, End 1t. r. T.
Jorvig. Minneapolis, Marine gun
crew officer, saw the Japanese plane
make its run.
1.-The Franklin had just launched
a Helldiver.' he said, when I saw
the Jap plane. probably a single
engined Jill, coming in. He dived
out of an overcast at a 30-degree
angle, made a perfect bomb run,
skinned about 100 feet over the
deck and dropped his bombs amid
ships. A great ball of orange flame
and smoke shot out of the hangar
deck. There were more explosions,
and I saw men jumping off the fan
tail and going down lines
"One bomb crashed through the
flight deck. forward Of the island
and exploded on the hangar deck
below, wrecking the forward eleva-
tor Another big hole was just aft
of the island structure.
The initial blast set fire to gaso-
line and some % more planes on
the hangar deck below, each gassed
and armed with bombs and rockets.
Instantly the hangar deck became
a raging inferno, snufing out the
lives Of virtually every man at work
on the planes. Bombs and rockeus
exploded with shattering blasts.
Men at Ease.
THE crew was not at battle sta
tions. No japanese planes had been
reported in the vicinity. General
quarters condition had been eased
and many men, dog-tired from
nights of alarms, had been released
to go to breakfast. One of the
tragedies was the long line of en-
listed men. damned up on the
hangar deck to enter hatch Lead
ing to their mess hall below. Pre-
Evening star., 1945-05-18

60 in with him Father o'CslIahan.
while he extinguished fames,' said
the captain. He didn't hesitate
a moment to go where nobody else
would go. I even saw him 60 into
an ammunition magazine, where
there was fire.
Another Irishman Aids Him.
There was man killed on each
side Of him, but he was unhurt. A
turret began smoking and I yelled
down to get hose and wet down
the ammunition locker, before it
exploded. The chaplain couldn't
hear me. in the noise, and he came
over and asked what wanted.
with another Irishman, 1t.
Comdr. McGregor Kirkpatrick, he
got hose and stood there and wet
the locker, which might have blown
up any moment. killing the both
of them.
After that the chaplain went to
Evening star., 1945-05-18

below decks to find egress at some
welcome scuttle.
About $50 enlisted men were
locked in an after mess hall on the
third deck below, when their COM
partment filled with smoke. Chok-
ing, they wrapped damp handker-
chiefs or towels over their nostrils
and waited. praying. 1t. Comdr.
j. L. Fuelling of Indianapolis, a
ship doctor. Gained them. Several
gave way to panic. An hour and a
half later 1t. q. g. Donald Gary,
Oakland, Calf, fuel and water Of
flcer, entered the compartment. He
led them out by groups, taking the
men to still lower deck so they
might clumb out an escape vent to
the top deck.
THE fight to save the mighty car
rier began Immediately, although
Evening star., 1945-05-18
Liberation of Sister
Is Reward Enough,
Hero Priest Says
By the Associated Press.

NEW YORK. May 1s.-Lt.
Comdr. Joseph Timothy O'Cal-
lahan of Cambridge, Mass, the
chaplain praised by his skipper
as "the bravest man I've ever
known says he needs no re-
ward for his role aboard the
burning aircraft carrier Frank
lin.
He said he received all the re-
ward he wanted during a brief
stop at Pearl Harbor on the
Franklin's long trip to the New
York Navy Yard.
MY sister, nun in the Mary
knoll Order, had been liberated
from Santo Tomas prison camp
in the Philippines, and I had a
letter from her." he explained.
The Franklin's commander.
Capt. Leslie E. Genres, has rec
commended him for the Congress
sional Medal of Honor.
Evening star., 1945-05-18
LOST RATION COUPON,

"A" GASOLINE RATION BOOK and kero-
sene coupons, issued to ROY BELL 46O1
Wheeler I'd sc. LU. 1886.
GAS RATION On" COUPON, serial No
11S5411, issued to A. K N. Waterfall.
r. z. D. No. 2. Box 145, Alex, Va lSs
RATION BOOK, No 4. ANN J. HANSON,
6S04 Oakridge ave. Chevy Chase, Nd.
RATION BOOKS Nos. and 4, issued to
keppen. ordWay 57i6. N '''A
RATION BOOKS, 12; Nos and I,
Greene; brown leather case, May II,
Ca ave. carline. Reward. SH 1874.
Evening star., 1945-05-18
Navy Reveals Heroic
Episode as Carrier
Reaches Brooklyn
Continued From First Page.)

think I was brave. 1t was part
of my religious training"
The priest, 40 years old, entered
the Navy in August, 1910. He be-
longs to the Jesuit Order and was
head Of the mathematics depart
ment at Holy Cross College,
Worcester, Mass, before the war.
In the long fight against flames
and bombs the Franklin lost ap-
proximately one-third of her crew.
The Navy Department announced
these casualties-832 men killed and
missing and more than 300 wounded.
Many Lost Lives.
Great loss of life occurred on the
ships hangar deck. One of the
bombs pierced the forward flight
deck and exploded in the hangar
space where mechanics were ready
Ing gas-filled, bomb-laden planes.
In an instant the whole area was a
mass of white-hot flames.
The other bomb exploded aft on
the flight deck, tearing into a group
OF planes which stood, motors run
ming, prepared for a take-off. In
a moment this area was a mass of
flames. Airplanes disintegrated, as
did their pilots and crews. Flam-
ing 100-octane gasoline poured over
the deck like blazing Niagara.
Bombs. rockets, bullets and pieces
of steel from disintegrating motors
fell like hail around those survivors
who Rugged the deck for safety.
Around noon, while the Franklin
was being towed by a cruiser, a
second japanese plane appeared and
attempted to bomb it. but missed
the target. Two hours later another
enemy aircraft appeared. but did
not attempt a bombing run. Both
were reported shot down by patrol
planes.
Part Of the task force that struck
vital blow against japanese sea
power in that country's inland sea
last March, the Franklin was steam
ing straight for the japanese coast
when she was hit. Later Tokyo
propagandists claimed that she had
been sunk. Last nights revelations
show that they were almost right.
Other Heroic Ships.
The Franklin was not the only
heroic ship in this sea tragedy. De-
spite the possibility that the car
rier's magazines might explode at
any moment, the cruiser Santa Fe,
commanded by Capt. H C. Fitz,
Severna Park, Md, hove directly
alongside and spent several hours
helping to fight the fire and taking
aboard survivors. Two destroyers,
the Hunt and Marshall, rescued
more than 800 of the carriers crew,
some of whom jumped and others of
whom we're hurled into the water.
The destroyers Hickox and Miller
saved others.
A fgraphic eyewitness account OF
the Franklin's ordeal has been writ
ten by Alvin S. Mccoy of the Kan
sas City Star and distributed by the
Associated Press. Mr. Mccoy. the
only correspondent aboard, had been
standing by the carriers island"
where many men were killed, until
only few minutes before the at
tack. He had gone down to break
fast and was eating in the warrant |
Evening star., 1945-05-18
LOST.


BAGEed lss5eT e oyeTniEhs bss inltlalsd a
New aampshirs nd oth sna ave and TsSl9r St bus
MFs. 'GAGHAN. Ex. s5o3 by day. GE.
41s4 by night.
BILLFoLD. lady's black. containing bad
ksg, 1ss. nan. and address. Reward. Dupont
BILLFOLD. containing S25 and "a" gas
lstratienn card and cher papers. Reward.
BLACK WALLET, 18th and sts., cont.
S4z R5ags and Rec SrHss
FoeER EssSh Hasra ssd6 HsVf5a * 81 slzAsErfe
Iasc B0sTos s.rs BuLk male ylsin!syy West P0
Ua., Re%ard HS Ssss EN-. $3.50 @ OF -VOo 2I'cA
CAT. long hair; white and brown, male,
CERTIF., NO. 1886 for l snare Norfolk
n and scs p e. Al s9
ff csrtf shs I not @ Be snG ssued cause Please ADDRESS
all notices to the Trust Department. Ma
tional SAVINGS and Trust COMPANY.
shanss sssn in Mayfower Hotel reward Phone
CIGARETTE LIGHTER, silver; monogramed
vard RE- EoSt $500 % Ext as5 Kitchen
COCKER SPANIEL, black male, between
named "Russy:" Reward. IA: 2437.
CORDE BAG, black, contained ration hooks
Rogers, etc. Reward. Ii O716.
DOG. Great Dane, large, answers to name
% esa %th IN y tass od
Call WI 4111.
nA.kINcS; l.I.E5 S,-t g9a g leaves with opal:
HANDBAG, black. left in cab sunday
Badae Bss aensV ReRad Co o
HEARING AID, on Conn. ave. bus Tuesday
noon; reward. Temple s729.
tel, one Kodak Vigilant. ,six-2S; senti:
mental value. Reward. Adams 907s 19.
LAyALIER, amethyst, with gold top. slender .I
and Euclid NV; reward. AD. O4O2.
MINK SCARF. At $40 Monday, night, in
front dr on Gt atrest ass4 lew st. W. es5 $685. in cab
PEARL NECKLACE, 1S;in;, single strand.
Thursdsy. May 10th At TToika Cub q q
st. Cali sH. 1910. Reward 10.
PHI BETA KAPPA PIN, Tues, May Is: on
back, Irene S. Berde, Univ: of Mimi
1915" Reward. Call GE. 1891 after z
PIN AND CLIP combination, green and
purple stones; vicinity Kann's Dept. Store,
Thursday; reward. RA. 1864
PURSE, brown, lady's; lost on La bus
nsera 1ewar H
MAN. CO. BIG
REWARD 1,0O0-3-sectioned platinum
bracelet Of diamonds and sapphires: lost
Df'Tesh e. ns aHn ca NfcaoGs ssaG ss co NE os1s
RING, gold, initials ".W. R. c." lost May
E aeasIs ss Fort R RsDos s4 sel0nsns to young boy
ReWsrd. RsSSsHa Fl FR. a3s nsss Nof'n oAp''0i ana
SILVER COIN BRACELET. valued as keep
sake, Reward. 1913 21st st. NV. Adams
WALLET, black, Wed. night, Capitol The
ater: leave papers, Identification, sum
money; Navy Navy veteran from overseas; re-
ming to streetcar, vic. n. =. ave and N
M scn and ana SrntSpe rec s add1sss snd
eral reward. NO. $500.
WATCH, mans, 17-jewel, National black
leather band; lost on BRYANT st; nv, bet.
and white enamel TRIM. between dispen-
sary. Navy Bldg. and streetcar terminal
Rainier csr R o%ner desires Gs retu1n M or
sentimental reasons reward. Phone NO.
$500, Ext 101.
WRIST WATCH lady's, gold, initiated IN
A. s." between 544s Nevada ave. n W. and
10th and F, or on LII bus. Reward. OR.
94O6.
WRIST WATCH, Buioya. rectangular. lost
Wed. on 18th and D streetcar at ap-
proximately 4:30 pm. Reward. FIR. $3.50.
WRIST WATCH, Elgin, ladys, diamond
on each side, vic. downtown, Wed. after
noon Reward. IA: 170s.
Evening star., 1945-05-18

aflre, showered shrapnel which sev-
cred two Of the cruisers fire hoses,
but injured no one manning them
Meanwhile. another cruiser, the
U. s. 8. Pittsburgh, picked up some
survivors from the water, then ap-
preached and cast q line to the
Franklin. A towing cable was
hauled to the Franklin, which had
no workable equipment to lift it
The Santa Fe's winches were used
to hoist the cable from the sea and
pass 1t to the Franklin. The line
was made fast.
THE Santa Fe was pounded un-
mercifully by the carriers 40-mm
gun mounts and other projecting
equipment. It's starboard rails were
clipped of, its hull ripped and a
gun was damaged. But it held fast
Just before 1890 o'clock, five and
one-half hours after the bombing
the Santa Fe cast. of, its rescue job
finished. 1t had taken aboard all
who were to 60. In the two and a
half hours 1t was tied up to the
carrier, 1t had received 826 persons
from the ship and the sea, including
more than 80 wounded.
Destroyer Rescues All.
"One destroyer, the Hunt, with a
normal complement of about 200
had taken At sailors from the sea
Another, the Marshall, had picked
up 212. Scattered among seven
ships were more than a thousand
more Of the Franklin's officers and
crew. Still other pilots had landed
on various carriers of the task
force.
THE Japanese pilot who bombed
the Franklin was shot down by the
air group commander of the Frank
lin himself, in meager retaliation
for the blow. The head of the all
group is Comdr. E. B. Parker.
"Comdr. Parker took of about Is
minutes ahead of the bombing. He
was orbiting for a rendezvous with
his group and was joined by a Navy
wingman and two Marine pilots.
They did not see the Japanese
make his bomb run but did see the
carrier smoking and the Jap fleeine
after his run.
He climbed to $500 feet Ma.
rine First 1t. Kenneth N. Linder
Arcadia, Calf, who accompanied
the commander, related. We closed
fast. I was in the saddle and 60,
IN the first few shots, but they
didn't appear to take effect.
Hit While in Loop.
b Then Comdr Parker closed. He
started firing-it was a single-en-
gine bomber-and the Jap pulled
up in a loop. Comdr. Parker fol-
lowed in the loop. firing. He hit
the Jap while he was looping. The
Jap rolled over and went right down
Evening star., 1945-05-18

uc chaplain was
"e v cry " here"
helping wound
ed, fighting fires
and administer
ing last rites to
the dying.
|" He a | W avs
was where the
S | t u a ton was
the t o u g h e s t,
and I saw him in
front of a huge
billow of smoke,
holding a fire
hose and encour-
aging others to
Evening star., 1945-05-18
Dr.. james T. Nix, Dies;
Surgeon and Author

BY the Associated Press.
NEW ORLEANS, May 18.-Dr
James T. Nix. 81. New Orleans
surgeon and author. died yester.
day.
He was member of the faculties
of both Louisiana State and Loyola
Universities and was dean of the
L. s. U. School of Medicine from
1887 to 1910.
He was author Of "Ihe Surgeon Re-
fleets" book of medical philosophy
two volumes of poetry and many
magazine articles.
DR.. Nix was born in Greenville
IS c.
Evening star., 1945-05-18

commanding OIL
hcers on other
ships believed 1t
impossible. Dam
age and fire con-
troll parties la
b or e d indoni-
tably anidships,
p ] a vi n 6 fire
h os es on the
flames " h lie
shrapnel b urst
a r o IN d them.
Capt. G e h r e S,
standing on the
b d ge at the
time, was knock
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
WITH ENGINEERS

Sergeant James H. Phelps, Jr.,
of Ash, helped build a bridge over
the Adige river, permitting troops
of the 85th Custer" Infantry di-
vision to advance after taking We
roma, Italy.
The Germans had blown all the
bridges in the path of the Fifth
Army offensive and the 310th En-
gineer battalion, of which Phelps
lis a member, was given the job
of preparing a route of advance
for the 85th.
While one company built raft
ferry, Phelps unit was assigned
the task Of putting in to service
able condition large railroad
bridge. Phelps and his bulldozer
were called on to build approaches
to the remaining spans of the
bridge, which meant moving ap-
proximately 1000 cubic yards of
earth. He accomplished the job in
about four hours.
During this time there was still
fighting going on in Verona. The
rattle of small arms fire, as the
snipers were rooted out, could be
heard above the roar of the dozer
Il didn't mind the noise but the
people kept running across the
bridge to get away from the shoot
ing and I nearly ran over bunch
of them" Phelps said.
His work was not over when the
approaches to the bridge were
built. The enemy had packed the
railroad bridge with empty de-
rallied cars so Phelps used his
bulldozer as a ram and dumped
the cars into the Adige. He then
used the corner of his blade to
uproot the rails, which previously
had been torn with dynamite, and
push them into the river. The road
was then clear and the 85th surged
northward again in the drive which
terminated in the German surren-
der in Italy.
Phelps mother, Mrs. Mary
Phelps, resides in Ash.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
ON MINDANAO

Private First Class Aubrey E.
Hayes, $40 South Third street, Will
mington, although not strictly a
combat soldier, helped wipe out
one of the most highly charged
ambushes on Mindanao.
Hayes was stringing wire along
a road in the Davao area with a
small squad, when a Filipino re-
ported Japs were digging at the
roadside about 200 yards forward.
The wiremen went in search OF
the Japs, found and killed some
of them. The others fled into the
jungle.
The departing enemy left behind
bangalore torpedoes, mines, rifles
and a network of wires running to
the business end of ten 500-pound
buried aerial bombs placed along
the road at 10 yard intervals.
''They were just about set for
their dirty work when we came
up" said Hayes.
There were enough high explo-
sives there to blow up a company
of infantry or truck convoy, all
at once"
Hayes is a member of Head
quarters of this Victory division S
hard-driving 10th Infantry regi-
ment, which has taken part in the
liberation of eight islands in the
Philippines since the Leyte land
ing.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
DR.. Frank Graham
Urges Federal Aid

WASHINGTON, June 2s.-R)-
DR.. Frank Graham, president of
the University of North Carolina
urged today legislation providing
Federal aid for education so that
Americas educationally under
privileged might become a great
market of potential producers, in
stead of economic problem No.
l."
He particularly recommended to
the House committee on education
the provision for equalization of
education opportunities. Rural
America, he said, earns 9 per cent
of the national income, but has
to educate 80 per cent of the ma
tons children.
IF our neighbor South Carolina
put all its general funds into pub
lie schools, the state still wouldn't
reach the national average for ex-
penditures on these schools he
asserted.
There are two many $500 a
year teachers working with the
most precious thing in this coun-
try-our children
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
Exchange Club Debates
Military Training Idea

trained standing army could be
voluntarily recruited in this coun-
try if soldiers were paid a higher
salary.
Rebuttal for the affirmative was
handled by j. B. Edwards who
said in summation that 10 million
of our boys are now losing four
years of their life whereas if this
country had followed policy of
a years military training, all that
may not have been necessary.
Leo Sykes giving the negative
rebuttal stated that in his opinion
the proposed program would be a
foolish expenditure of government
money since the things learned by
one year of training would soon
be rendered obsolete by the rapid
development of military knowledge.
The program was arranged and
directed by James Allegood and
Ranald Stewart, chairman of the
club presided at the meeting.
Guests for the program includ-
ed Roy Phillips of Asheville, It.
Lloyd Moore, USN and Joseph
Smith of Richmond Virginia.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
Ex-High Student
Fired Last Shot
PIERMONT, N. Y. June %

PIERMONT, N. Y, June 20.
-PePfc. Domenic Mozetta,
q 19-year-old former high
school student of Providence,
r. l., today was named by Of
ficers of the 387th Infantry
Regiment of the 9th Division
as the soldier who fired the
last American shot of the Eu-
rOpean war.
The regiments 143 officers
and 1888 enlisted men were
among 1922 reassignment and
rotation troops who arrived to-
day on the Marine Raven at
this Hudson River town ~
miles from New York City.
They went to nearby Camp
Shanks.
Maj. H. w. Thompson, of
Bernardino, Calf, the regi-
ment's intelligence and educa-
cation officer, said Mozetta
fired the shot about $3.50 p. m.
on the night of May 7 near
Klenovice, Cze hoslovakia.
The cease firing order to the
armies became effective at one
minute after midnight of May
7-more than two hours after
the shot was fired.
Thompson explained that so
far as is known no other
American outfit was still fight
ing at that time.
The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-30
Hitler Talks, II Duce
Listens Second Fiddle
Role D epdes.ins
Continued From Page Four)

Continued From Page Four)
also sent a brief telephone mes
sage to Hitler. advising him to hold
Narvik Gin northern Norway at
any cost"
APRIL 28-''Another letter from
Hitler to II Duce. These, in
general, are Of small importance,
but Hitler is a good psychologist
and knows that they reach deep
into Mussolini's soul. The Pope
addressed a letter to II Duce, in
which he praises efforts for peace
and prays that Italy will stay out
of the conflict. Mussolini's reaction
is skeptical. cold and sarcastic"
Cold Reception
MAY 1-"PhillipS (U. S. ambas-
sador) has a message from Rose
welt for II Duce. 1t is warning,
hidden amid polite phrases, not to
enter the war. Mussolini re-
ceived it with ill grace, believing
Roosevelt openly in favor Of the
IeIlCll dilQ ID ltlSlI. liz Pei SOli-
ally wrote a reply, cutting and hos
tile, arguing that if the Monroe
Doctrine applies to the Americas,
it must also apply to Europe.
MAY 3-"Von Ribbentrop says
that the offensive on the Maginot
Line will be as rapid as it is Ger
tain. Goering, for the first time,
asks for our Intervention because
the war is now moving toward a
quick victory. Franco sen.
dull message to II Duce, in which
he affirms the absolute neutrality
of Spain, which is trying to build
up the bone tissue destroyed by
war and revolution
MAY A new letter from Hit
Ter to II Duce. Hitler complains
about the excessive speed Of the
victory which has made it impos-
sible to engage British forces more
effectively and to destroy them. {.
He concludes by saying that ne in
tends to obtain victory in the West
as soon as possible, and that he
is compelled TO do this by threats
of American intervention.
MAY g. "Badoglio. believes
that break-through of the Magi'
not Line would require six months,
action and the sacrifice of a mill
lion men"
Monday: The stab in the back.)