Trial by Fire

World War II Navy #8

by P.T. Deutermann

Based on a true story—P. T. Deutermann's Trial by Fire is a dramatic WWII novel of attack, survival, and triumph on board an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.It's March 1945 and the war in the Pacific is approaching its apocalyptic climax. The largest wartime armada ever assembled, Task Force 58, is closing in on Okinawa; once taken, it will finally put American B-29 bombers in comfortable range of the home islands of Japan—and victory.At the heart of the fleet are 14 Essex-class aircraft carriers, including the USS Franklin, known as "Big Ben"—a 27,000-ton behemoth, home to 3,600 crewmen and 100 aircraft. Just after dawn, while crewmen prepare for battle, a single Japanese Yokosuka D4Y bomber breaks through the clouds and drops a 500-pound semi-armor piercing bomb on Big Ben. The bomb rips through the wooden flight deck before exploding on the hangar deck, amidst two dozen fully fueled and armed fighter-bombers. The resulting explosion engulfs both the hangar deck and all the planes spotted on the flight deck. Bombs cook off and rockets howl in all directions, both on the flight deck and down in the hangar bays. Hundreds of men are forced to leap into the sea to escape the rivers of burning aviation gasoline, leaving the captain with only one third of his crew, of whom there are more dead, wounded and trapped men left onboard than able-bodied sailors.Trial By Fire is the gripping novelization of how, against all odds, the sailors of the Franklin were able to save their ship, after 3 agonizing days of battling the flames that ultimately claimed the lives of 832 men and injured 300 more. Readers will be astounded and humbled by the heroic actions of a few extraordinarily brave sailors in the face of unending catastrophe.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Military Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Audiobook, War, Suspense

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2021

About the author

P. T. Deutermann is a retired Navy captain and has served in the joint Chiefs of Staff as an arms control specialist. He is the author of eighteen novels, and lives in North Carolina. His World War II adventure novel Pacific Glory won the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, administered by the American Library Association; his other World War II novels are Ghosts of Bungo Suido and Sentinels of Fire. His most recent novel is Cold Frame, a contemporary thriller set in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a War Fiction book that is base on a true story, and this is the 8th book in the World War II Navy series. I have to say I was thinking this would read more like a Non-Fiction book, but this book reads more like a fast pace Suspense. I have to say this book would like been a 5 star book for me if the beginning was not so slow moving and boring, but once this book picked up the pace I feel in love with this book. It was written so well I felt I was on that boat with all these men and just trying to make it through all of this stuff going on. I loved all the drama, and the characters where so great. I did not know I would love a war fiction book so much. Great book and well written. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (P.T. Deutermann) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of P. T. Deutermann and have read all of his WWII Naval Series. I thoroughly enjoy reading historical novels and often will go and read up on the historical event after finishing the novel.

The book is the story of the final battle of the USS Franklin, nicknamed the “Big Ben”. The aircraft carrier USS Franklin’s last battle was on March 19, 1945 off the coast of Japan. She earned the title “The most damaged aircraft carrier that survived”.

Deutermann’s novel provides the view from the sailors on board the Franklin during the March 19, 1945 battle. Some characters are fictional and some like “Father Jo”, Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O’Callaghan, tell of his actions for which he received the Medal of Honor. Also real is Lieutenant J.G. Donald A. Gray who found and led to safety 300 men from inside the burning ship. Gray also received the Medal of Honor. Deutermann’s story allows the reader some understanding of the extreme battle for survival the men of the Franklin endured.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and eleven minutes. Peter Berkrot does an excellent job narrating the book.

[Jim A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent WW II naval combat story.

This covers life on an aircraft carrier during the final months of the war in the Pacific. Starts with the refurbish, repair, and refitting of a carrier damaged by a Kamikaze attack off the Philippines. Moves into individuals on the carrier and their jobs, as well as the trials and tribulations of experienced officers dealing with a new, to the ship, captain, as well as many new crew members. Excellent explanations of the functioning of engineering land other functions of a carrier of that era.

Fast forward to damage to the carrier. Deutermann does his usual great job of telling the story of a capital ship in great peril. As well as the ship’s officers that were highlighted by the story itself.

Highly recommend to any reader who enjoys WW II action.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Just when I thought I could not be more surprised when reading a WWII naval novel by author PETER DEUTERMANN, he comes up with another awesome story. One major difference this time around. It is a novel based entirely on a real event.
TRIAL BY FIRE tells the story of an aerial attack by a solitary plane on the aircraft carrier USS Benjamin Franklin on March 18-19, 1945 and how a small part of the crew saved the ship from utter destruction. If you search the Internet using the name of the ship, you will be able to see actual footage of this event.
The story begins with Commander Arakatsu Kitigama of the Imperial Japanese Navy as he gets into his plane in Kagoshima, Japan. His flight of five bombers is going to attack U.S. Navy Task Force 58 about 50 or 60 miles off the coast of southern Japan. His entire family had recently perished in a firebombing raid of Tokyo. He is seeking revenge.
Following this chapter, the author takes readers to Bremerton, Washington (across Puget Sound from the city of Seattle) where the 36,000-ton Essex class aircraft carrier is finishing repairs after a kamikaze attack in the western Pacific in November 1944. It is at this point readers begin meeting the officers and sailors of the ship. This is their story.
Captain Leslie Gehres reminded this reader of other unbalanced ships’ officers in many previous naval fiction books. Most notably, Captain Phillip Queeg from The Caine Mutiny. Gehres is not really a bad person but he is harsh and demands discipline. When the crew starts to abandon the ship to save their lives, he threatens to court martial all of them (about 1,000 officers and enlisted men). About half of the book is spent identifying the men who were the heroes. The rest of the story depicts how some of these guys tried to save the ship. It is in this telling that the author excels.
Two 550-pound bombs penetrated the wooden flight deck and exploded in the hangar deck immediately below it. In the hangar deck and flight decks were dozens of planes fully loaded with fuel and armaments (bombs, rockets, bullets). Nearby were the storerooms of holding aviation gas and more munitions all of which started to catch fire and/or explode. The videos taken from nearby ships and on board the Franklin show many of these explosions. How ANYBODY survived is a miracle. One lucky part of the story is that the ship’s hull was not breached so no seawater came aboard.
Commander George Merritt (in reality Cmdr. Joe Taylor) the Executive Officer (second in command) takes over when the Captain goes into shock after observing the destruction caused by the two bombs and the subsequent chain of events. Lieutenant Gary Peck is able to get the engines going with a crew of two others. Lieutenant John “JR” McCauley rescues 300 men from a location that would have meant certain death for them. Father Joseph O’Callahan (Congressional Medal of Honor recipient), the Catholic chaplain on board led heroic firefighting efforts on the flight deck. The death toll aboard was second only to that of the battleship ARIZONA at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
This book adds one more piece to the puzzle of “The Greatest Generation”. I could not put the book down, staying up into the wee hours of a couple of mornings, way past my normal bedtime. EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!

[Robert Poor · Rating 5 out of 5]

P.T. Deutermann's latest maritime thriller, "Trial By Fire," is a novelization of the horrific damage caused by a Japanese bomber to USS Benjamin Franklin (CV-13) in March 1945 when the aircraft carrier was beginning bombing operations against the Japanese homeland in preparation for the immense US amphibious landing on Japan that was expected to occur about two years later. (Use of the atomic bombs in the summer of 1945 cancelled these plans and, though certainly terrible by any definition, shortened the war in Asia and saved countless lives that would have otherwise been lost via more conventional military operations.) Big Ben, as it was known, incurred more damage during the war than any other USN aircraft carrier and more than nearly every other USN ship with the exception of USS Arizona. Originally with a crew of about 3,600, by the end of three hellish days of explosions and rampant fires, only 704 Franklin crewmembers were left aboard, more than 800 were killed, and three hundred injured. Some were rescued by escort ships that heroically came to Big Ben's aid, while its fully armed aircraft on the flight deck and hangar deck were still exploding. Only through the indescribable bravery of its crew, well depicted in this novelization, was the ship saved and towed to Ulithi, before heading back to Pearl Harbor, and ultimately Brooklyn Naval Shipyard.

A 1963 United States Naval Academy graduate, Deutermann's maritime novels get the war-at-sea details exactly right: the sounds, the smells, the crew's terror and bravery. In "Trial By Fire," those details are very nearly overwhelming for the reader. Here, I found the leadership dilemma faced by the XO of Big Ben - caught between an unrealistic, inflexible, terrible Commanding Officer and a war-battered crew seemingly facing unreasonable and unfair court-martials - to be particularly compelling, and perhaps worthy of study and thoughtful discussion at the Naval Academy. (Just like we studied "The Caine Mutiny" during my time at the Severn River Yacht Club ...)

P.T. Deutermann was born in 1941. His father was a Vice Admiral. Deutermann himself made Captain. Each one of his novels about the US Navy is an absolute treat for fans of Sea Stories and Literature of the Sea. He is 80 years old these days, so I don't know how many more novels he has in him. If this is the last, it is a fine coda to a legacy of excellence, and I wish him fair winds and following seas. If there are more to come, then we all have something great to anticipate.

BTW, there is a fascinating 17-minute black and white film on YouTube that shows what happened to Franklin. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn7EU...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. This book is based on a remarkable true story and the characters were based on real people. It is the story of the aircraft carrier U. S. S. Franklin, nicknamed "Big Ben." In March 1945 the Franklin was only 50 miles off the coast of Japan and was in the midst of launching a bombing raid on on Kure Harbor. Only a few planes had taken off and the deck was loaded with 31 heavily armed and fueled aircraft. The hanger deck also contained planes, 5 already armed and 16 fueled. A lone Japanese bomber somehow slipped through the fighter screens and by the screening destroyers. It dropped two 550 pound bombs, one hitting forward on the flight deck and the other toward the stern. Both bombs penetrated the flight deck and down to the third armored hanger deck. All of the aircraft caught fire and their bombs and rockets exploded, completely destroying the hanger deck and the two decks above. It caused a massive explosion with flames and smoke rose thousands of feet above the ship. The Franklin was left dead in the water and listing 13 degrees to starboard. Of the crew of 3600, 807 were killed and 487 wounded. Many were forced to abandon ship to escape the fire and explosions. Only 706 officers and crew remained aboard. The Franklin was the most heavily damaged U.S. aircraft carrier to survive the war. This book is the incredible story of this disaster and of the heroic men who fought to save their ship. I highly recommend it.

[Stephen L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brimming With Details

The thing I love about Deutermann's novels is his attention to detail. Those of my generation recall our USN veteran father's recollections - seeing the Franklin and her devastation as she returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The author takes us back through the experiences of fictional characters to have us witness some of what it would have been like to serve on "Big Ben" and witness history.

[Doug Sundseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an almost beat-for-beat straight history of the attack on the USS Franklin and its nearly miraculous preservation from sinking.

The story is an amazing one in nearly every way, and Deutermann tells it well. But this is so close to a straight history that to call it historical fiction, as it is advertised, seems inappropriate. The only fiction, as far as I can tell, is the changing of the names of the actual officers involved. For reference, several of the actual people involved are noted below:

The Captain of the Franklin during the incident, Leslie E. Gehres, was apparently at least as bad as described here; his tenure as Captain has been described as, "a cautionary tale about the scourge of 'toxic leadership'."

The Exec, the viewpoint character in this book, was Joseph F. Taylor, who was awarded his third Navy Cross for his actions during the crisis. Lt. JG Donald A. Gary and Chaplin Lt. Cdr. Joseph T. O'Callahan were awarded Medals of Honor for their actions in response to the attack.

Had this been advertised as a straight historical retelling, even if some parts were inferred from reports rather than actually in the historical record, I would probably have rated this as a 5-star book. Deutermann is at his best when telling stories of the surface navy, and this is a fine example. Recommended.

[Dad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic historical fiction account of a harrowing event inWWIi. The bravery and stories based on real world events made it a compelling read and thoroughly engrossing. Makes me understand why those folks were referred to as the greatest generation. Excellent book—would have warranted five stars but it started off rather slowly and slow paced.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Deutermann has written a gripping and suspenseful novel about the USS Franklin which was bombed by the Japanese in March 1945. Fans of military novels will be pleased with the details. Those who, like me. are not regular readers of the genre will still find themselves deeply invested because of the characters. This is about how these men banded together to save as many men as possible even as things were exploding and there was a potential that the ship would sink. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is not one I would have ordinarily picked for myself but I'm glad I took a chance. It's an amazing story of determination and resilience-and a tribute not only to those who survived but also to those who perished.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific and thoroughly enjoyable book. I could not put this one down. Based on historical fact, the plot and characters kept my interest. A must read for those who enjoy history.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The perfect mix of a great story with the historical events creates an excellent novel. The research needed to develop this story is passed on to the reader to not only entertain, but to educate and inspire an appreciation for the brave men who gave of themselves. I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter T. Deutermann (https://www.ptdeutermann.com) is the author of more than 25 novels. Trial by Fire was published in 2021. It is the 5th book I completed reading in 2024.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

The novel is set in 1945 and centers on the crew serving aboard the U.S.S. Franklin, an American aircraft carrier stationed in the Pacific. It is the dramatized story of several sailors and aircrew aboard the Franklin.

The ship has a new Captain. The crew are all trying to adjust to him and his leadership style. The repairs on the Franklin are about complete, and they begin preparations to sail west for the final assault on Japan. With many new crew members aboard, training and preparation for combat is critical. As is often the case, they suffer accidents at sea.

The Captain decides to hasten their arrival near Japan and sails to Guam immediately after the training and shakedown are completed. The Franklin joins 13 other Essex-class aircraft carriers in Task Force 58. The fleet launched their aircraft to attack the Japanese home islands. The Japanese respond with their own bombing raid. The Franklin is severely damaged, with many of her crew wounded, killed, or missing.

More than a quarter of the 3600 aboard the Franklin become casualties. Those remaining aboard struggle to save themselves and the ship.

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 247-page WWII-era historical fiction novel. With this novel, I have had the opportunity to read four of Mr. Deutermann’s works. The others are The Commodore, The Red Swan, and The Nugget. They have all been excellent reads. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded to 5) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another superb WWII historical fiction book by P.T. Deutermann. As a student of history I have read a great deal about the Pacific theater in WWII, I was not aware of the story of the U.S.S. Franklin. I am very glad that Deutermann chose to tell this story. The Franklin was initially hit by a kamikaze attack and had to be sent back to Washington for repairs, at this time it took on a douchebag new captain who treated everyone like dogshit. Obviously this created tension on the boat and caused the civilian dockyard workers to work just a but less diligently in the repairs of the ship. Eventually the Franklin leaves for Pearl Harbor and deploys to the combat zone. Unfortunately, the doomed ship is only on station a few days when a kamikaze with a 550+ pound bomb hits the flight deck in the middle of an attack strike triggering massive multiple explosions in the hanger bay. The ship becomes a floating Inferno from hell. All of the pilots in the ready room and supporting crews are smashed to death as the lower deck explodes into the decks above them turning humans into jelly. Is this the worst you ask? Why no, once the fires are under control dozens of two man teams (one carrying a bucket and one a shovel) are required to scrape up human remains from the deck and toss them overboard when the bucket gets too heavy proving a human feast for seagulls. Somehow the remaining crew of 704 manage to save the ship and take it back to dry dock. Over 800 sailers perish in the worst conditions possible. This is their story, as told by a master storyteller. Highly recommended.

[Viva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fictionalized account of the attack, damage and recovery of the USS Franklin (CV-13), an Essex class aircraft carrier during the attack on Japan during WW2.

This book is seen through the POVs of 3 characters, an executive officer, an engineering officer and a lieutenant fire marshal. I usually don't like books with more than one POV but in this instance it's somewhat necessary because so many things were happening throughout the ship.

The writing was easy to read and follow and I finished this book in a day or so. There was quite a bit of technical information that described how the various parts of the ship worked but I fast read through that as I wasn't interested in it.

Apart from that, it gave a very good first hand account of the event from the 3 POVs. So it isn't a general overview but 3 very personalized views. And from the XO's POV we got a very unpleasant dose of the interaction with the very toxic captain. This is not fiction and seems to be widely know, it's even in the Wikipedia. I was a bit surprised to see someone like that promoted into a commanding position instead of being sidelined. It almost reads like something from the age of sail, like Captain Sawyer from Hornblower's universe.

Most of the book focused on the recovery from the damage and how the remaining crew and officers bravely acted to save the ship and any crew left alive. This is also one of the very rare books that deal with this type of situation. And kudos to the author for not only writing good fighting fiction but also a book that deals with something other than that.

[Jo Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

P. T. Deutermann's Trial by Fire, is a captivating story about the remarkable destruction suffered by the aircraft carrier USS Franklin in March 1945, a time when U.S. forces were closing in on Japan, hoping to use air power to avoid the need to invade that huge, densely populated island.
This story is largely told surrounding what occurred on the USS Franklin from the time a Japanese warplane hit the ship and severely damaged it, causing a chain reaction of explosions of the ship's operating systems and weaponry, killing many hundreds of sailors and pilots, initially leaving the carrier essential dead in the water.
This is a tale that shares the heroism of many of the ships crew, especially its Executive Officer and remarkably enough, the ship's Chaplain.
The ship's Captain, clearly someone who was promoted beyond his capabilities, not only failed to act to save his ship and crew but someone who had no ability to command even a PT boat. His Executive Officer saved the day because of his bravery, technical engineering expertise, leadership, and empathy.
This is a book that you simply could not put down because you were on the edge of your seat wondering whether the ship and the characters you learned to care about would survive against all odds. An incredible story, told with absolute credibility and knowledge..

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read from P.T. Deutermann When the aircraft carrier Benjamin Franklin sets sail to join the Pacific action against the Japanese in WWII, its crew encounters more than it expected. Just refurbished, the carrier's new configuration is minimally documented, the crew is for the most part inexperienced, and is loaded to support an aerial bombardment of Japan. The leadership team is somewhat experienced in naval warfare but not necessarily carrier exercises. The captain is a bully and his staff tries to maintain the crew's morale. But when kamikazes attack, the entire crew experiences the horror of naval warfare up-close and personally. The story details the attempts of the cre to maintain the ship while the fires burn around them and the bodies pile up. This riveting story provides details into the travails of a crew and its leaders as horrors rise around them. Few novels detail the experiences of naval personnel, trapped in a burning hell. The information should be part of the curriculum for naval personnel given that they really cannot retreat in the face of warfare. P.T. Deutermann based this novel on the true history of the Franklin and, although the characters are fictional, the experiences have significant basis in fact. This is a must read for naval warfare buffs and for those looking to careers in the navy.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book based on a true story. If you like WWII action stories please give this one a try!
Something I'd like to share with P.T. Deutermann is that I wish there were additions to the book in the form of maps, characters listed and identified in the front pages, as well as what some of the terms mean for those of us who have never been in the service but admire those who have and want to learn more. (I'm a retired lady whose Father was a Sargent and mechanic in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He didn't speak much about it, but he came home with a huge book of photos. A few of them are in Reminisce Extra in the November 2020 issue I wrote for them).
Your descriptions are fantastic and were able to take us there on board the Franklin as much as an armchair reader is able to be present. I liked how you portrayed some of the people like Captain Leslie Gehres as he really was. I couldn't believe he was in command of a ship. Perhaps they were short of Captains. They should have looked further for some of those under him to lead! What a terrific blunder to give that creature such a responsible position. Please keep writing. I loved this book and thank God for those heroes who sacrificed their lives so we can live in freedom.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense horrifying account

This is a fictionalized account of the true story of the WWII attack on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin as it was nearing the Japanese home islands in March 1945 (just five months before the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima) when a single Japanese plane dropped two five hundred pound bombs on the fight deck of the ship causing massive destruction and loss of life.

The ship started out with 3,600 men and this tale tells how a small complement of survivors actually saved the ship and its remaining men and limped back to Pearl Harbor.

I have always been a fan of military tales - fiction and non-fiction and P.T. Deutermann is a favorite military author of mine. He has really outdone himself with this account. The level of detail about the carrier and about the battle is astounding and also terrifying. I can't even imagine what those sailors went through during this endless inferno. War is hell.

I highly recommend this accounting of this WWII battle. Be aware it is graphic and difficult to read at times.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

In March 1945, the war in the Pacific is approaching its apocalyptic climax. The largest wartime armada ever assembled is closing in on Okinawa. Once taken, American B-29 bombers will be in range of Japan’s home islands. At the heart of the fleet are 14 Essex-class aircraft carriers, including the USS Franklin (CV-13), known as ‘Big Ben,’ a 27,000-ton behemoth home to 3,600 crewmen and 100 aircraft. Just after dawn on March 19, a Japanese bomber broke through the clouds and dropped a 500-ton semi-armor piercing bomb on Big Ben’s flight deck, boring down to the hanger deck where it finally exploded. The aircraft carrier ended up experiencing the most damage and loss of life during the entire Pacific war, exceeded only by the USS Arizona. In this fictionalized account, Deutermann does a great job describing how, against all odds, the sailors of the Franklin were able to save their ship after three agonizing days of battling the flames that ultimately claimed the lives of 832 men and injured 300 more. For WWII Pacific theater fans, this is a good read.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Deutermann's own words: "I think it's a story well worth telling. I also think that anyone who aspires to be a naval officer should know this story, if only to absorb a realistic appreciation for what he or she might be getting themselves into." "The findings are nothing but appalling. I've tried to faithfully depict the horror of what happened without the reader needing to put the book down because it's too awful to contemplate."
Trial By Fire, although a novel, is the story of an actual event...the nearly total destruction of a US Navy aircraft carrier by the Japanese near the end of WWII. It is the story of human tragedy and heroism....the story of a "bully" commanding officer and his heroic crew.
Long, drawn-out descriptions of the aircraft carrier for the first third of the novel was not inspiring reading for a non-naval person. Once the story moved closer to Japan, it became a horrifying, moving, and emotional read.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

P. T. Deutermann provides an interesting retelling of the harrowing plight of the Franklin aircraft carrier after it is hit by a bomb just as it was launching a full strike on the home islands of Japan. He opens the book with the rebuilding for the Franklin in a Washington state shipyard with a mainly new crew and a new captain with very strong opinions. The reader gets a chance to learn the layout of the ship and various crew members. Then came the strike and the horrible struggle to survive aboard the Franklin when fuel and ammunition begin to cook-off due to the intense heat. The crew who survived worked to bring the ship back from the brink of destruction, managing to get power slowly restored and the ship moving again. But the ordeal was not over since the captain had his priorities skewed regarding the crew. Thankfully, the top brass brought him to his senses. In all, a harrowing story full of heroes.

[Bill Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well done book. Not especially long but definitely enjoyable. It is a fictional version of what happened to the USS Franklin, a WWII United States aircraft carrier. She was struck by two bombs while preparing to launch a strike against Japan. The devastation and loss of life that ensued was tremendous. She sustained more damage than any of aircraft carrier that survived. Much of what the author, P T Deutermann, puts in his story actually occurred. Mostly just the names were changed.

The book is a bit slow getting started. Maybe 50 pages or so. But sticking with it is well worth it. The story, both actual and the fictional version are good ones. And the author has done a very good job telling it. And at the end he lets us in on much of what is fact and what is fiction. Definitely worth a read.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding novel

Pacific WW2 Navel warfare is a specialty of PT Deter Ann and he writes wonderful novels about this subject. This time he has outdone himself. A true story that is so moving as well as terrifying, I wonder any of the sailors aboard the S S Franklin survived. Every young American should read this incredible tale and then wonder if their concerns are really world shaking. Many parts are very technical but I felt were necessary to understand how complex the inner workings of the carrier were and how almost impossible it was to save this ship. The kamikaze pilots aimed for the ship and armed their bombs just before hitting. The damage was indescribable Outstanding book. Kudos to P T Deutermann

[Daniel Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for someone interested in WW2 history. The book is the story of the USS Franklin a WW2 carrier that was hit with a Japanese Kamikaze pilot while it had a full flight deck of aircraft. The story revolves mostly around how the crew saved the ship from sinking and the heroics of the men on the ship and other ships that assisted them. I served in the Navy 30 years after WW2 and was snipe and I could relate to many of the stories. Everyone reacts differently to crisis, but the true heroes step up when times are tough. The book kept your attention with the action and heroics. The story is based on true characters that stepped up including a Navy Chaplain who was awarded the Medal of Honor.

[Katie Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandfather, John Bostian, was on board the Franklin and is one of the 704. All of my life I have known of what happened that day on March 19th. I’ve been to multiple Franklin reunions too. But I’m so thankful for this book that brought this gruesome and horrible day to light for me by sharing the details that my grandfather had never been able to do. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 101. I wish I could talk with him about the book and how accurate it was and hear more details of his experience that day. But I’m thankful for this novel that crazily enough, we just happened upon in a bookstore and realized it was about the Franklin.

[David A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Put down your speculative technothriller about robotic warriors flying strange vessels in space and encountering bizarre aliens. Return to real people making extraordinary sacrifices.

Each book in this series is based on real events, real people. There is little in the way of glossy wartime romance, except the first book and a few subplots in later books.

The author has achieved the pinnacle work of his career. He has honored all those who have sacrificed so much for their shipmates.

Well done.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started slow for me, and it defiantly continues the trend of PT Deutermann's WW2 Navy series more somber tone.
I was very prepared to dislike this book after the first chapter, but after the first third it was riveting. It helps that for some reason I was completely in the dark about the SS Franklin and its fate. I thought it was odd that the story follows the true account very accurately but all the players are changed from real life. Even the Captain and XO, although the characters are similar they are fake. Which is odd for me.
All in all though I liked the book a lot.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An earlier novel, "Sentinel'sls of Fire," dealt with the ordeal of destroyers on the picket line against kamikaze attacks. This novel deals with one of the carriers that the destroyers were protecting. Effectively, Deuterwmann has written an historical novel about the great efforts it took to save the carrier after it was bombed by a kamikaze. The fact that he describes actual events makes the book both suspenseful and grueling to read. As with his other novels, Deuterwmann continuers to show great skill.

[Jim Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-done story about one of the late tragedies of naval warfare in the Pacific: the Franklin, an Essex Class Carrier is hit by a bomb that sets off massive internal fires and explosions. Sailors are trapped everywhere and rescue and firefighting operations become monumental tasks. Many are lost but this book highlights some successful ways that officers and men stepped up to enable and aid men to be rescued and the ships to be saved. The erratic and rather unbelievable actions of the ship's captain provide a bizarre counterpoint to his crew's bravery in this holocaust.