USS Franklin (CV-13) was an American aircraft carrier the keel of which was laid in December 1942, launched in October 1943, and commissioned with the US Navy in January 1944. The length of the ship - at the time of launching - was 250 m, width 33 m, and full displacement - 36,400 tons. The maximum speed of the USS Franklin aircraft carrier was up to 33 knots, and its main armament was from 90 to 100 airplanes.
USS Franklin was the fifth Essex-class aircraft carrier. Ships of this type were the main American aircraft carriers during the Pacific War of 1943-1945. This type included as many as 24 aircraft carriers that entered the line until Japan signed the surrender in September 1945! Their construction was based on the experience gained from the operation of Lexington and Yorktown units, as well as not having to comply with any tonnage restrictions. The emphasis was primarily on the number of planes taken and the maximum speed at the expense of the armor of the landing deck. Interestingly, the Essex-class aircraft carriers were built in such a way that the hangar was not an integral part of the fuselage, but a structure suspended under the flight deck. Such a solution made the ships of this type relatively easy to damage, but much more difficult to sink as a result of an air attack. In the course of the war in the Pacific, anti-aircraft weapons were systematically strengthened on ships of this type. The USS Franklin (CV-13) aircraft carrier began its service in World War II with a subversive air attack on the Bonin Islands in late July and early August 1944, which was to distract the Japanese from American operations in the Marianas. Shortly thereafter, he took part in the battles for Peleliu. In October 1944, the USS Franklin took part in the Battle of Leyte Bay, where it was severely damaged. This forced a return to the US for repairs. The ship returned to the line in early 1945. In March this year, he already participated in air raids of on-board aviation against the Japanese fleet stationed on the island of Kyushu. In the course of these operations, on March 19, 1945, USS Franklin was badly damaged and had to be returned to the United States. Until the end of the war, he did not enter active service. After the end of World War II, the carrier was placed in reserve, but was returned to service in 1952. However, no significant modifications or improvements were made to it, and finally in 1964 it was removed from the fleet, and in 1966 it was scrapped.