On March 19, 1945, a Japanese bomber screamed toward the American carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) and dropped two 500-pound bombs through the ship's decks, killing hundreds in just the first few moments, and thrusting the lives of nearly 3,000 other American seamen and aviators into mortal danger. As the Franklin listed dangerously near capsizing, the light cruiser USS Santa Fe (CL -60), nicknamed the "Lucky Lady," bellied up alongside her flaming hull and attempted the most daring rescue in U.S. naval history. "Lucky Lady" recreates the legendary World War II careers of the Franklin—the most decorated naval vessel of the war—and the Santa Fe—unparalleled in frontline service and avoiding casualties—through the eyes of the men onboard. In the post-attack devastation, 832 Franklin crewmembers were killed in what was the U.S. Navy’s second worst disaster in history. Perspectives range from the highest levels of rank and flying altitude to the bottom of the pecking odder deep within the ships' bowels. Through the bloody years of the Pacific campaign—from Pearl Harbor to the Philippines to the coast of Japan, and finally the decimated city of Nagasaki—the crewmembers adapted to the routines of Navy life, braving kamikazes, ship-to-ship combat, and coping with the deaths of crewmates. "Lucky Lady" is a book that readers of military history cherish as a fitting tribute, which has resonance in our own time.
New softbound edition. 504 pages with 19 B/W photographs, and an index.
Only $15.99
Copyright 2008 by R.A. Cline Publishing. All rights reserved.
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The World War II Heroics of the USS Santa Fe and Franklin
by Steve Jackson
New Softbound edition (8 by 5 1/2 inches)
504 pages and 19 B/W photographs
New $15.99
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The Author
Steve Jackson's father, Donald, served on the cruiser USS Santa Fe. A treasured lock of hair that Steve's mother-to-be, Charlotte gave the young sailor Donald in 1944—found after more than fifty years—triggered this remarkable book. Steve Jackson' is also the author of "No Stone Unturned." "Lucky Lady" won the Colorado Book Award for History in 2003 and has been nominated for the Admiral Samuel Eliot Morrison Naval History Award. Steve Jackson lives near Denver, Colorado.
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