A Brief History
On March 19, 1945, the Essex class aircraft carrier USS Franklin while on station off the coast of Japan, was struck by a Japanese dive bomber flying virtually suicidal mission through intense defenses, causing massive damage, but not sinking the ship. Still, an incredibly high fatality count had been inflicted upon the crew of the stricken ship, with at least 740 men killed and perhaps more.
Is the Franklin the ship that suffered the highest death toll in a single battle that did not sink of damage inflicted in that battle? While we could not find a ship that could top the death toll on Franklin, we will list a few other notable cases of ships being horribly damaged in battle and suffering a large number of casualties without sinking. If you know of a ship that lost more men in a battle without sinking than the Franklin, please let us know.
Digging Deeper
USS Franklin, 1945.
The Essex class of aircraft carriers built by the United States during World War II was one of if not the greatest class of warships ever built. A total of 24 of the big flattops were built, and 4 survive today as museum ships. Originally built 820 feet in length with a beam of 93 feet, the ships were later converted to “angle deck” configuration and modernized, growing to over 880 feet long and 147 feet at the beam. Capable of over 32 knots and with a 20,000 mile range (more with at sea refueling), the ships carried a crew of about 3000 officers and men, and a complement of 90 to 100 aircraft.
