The American aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13), better known as "Big Ben" at sea in 1944. The Franklin would be one of the shortest-serving Essex class carriers, fighting from January of 1944 until February of 1945 when the ship was seriously damaged by Japanese fighters, but was not sunk. Repairs were not finished until after the war, at which point the ship was essentially put into mothballs. Eventually, after slowly being re-designated to smaller and smaller potential roles in the event of a war with the USSR, the Franklin was sold for scrap in 1966.The American aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13), better known as "Big Ben" at sea in 1944. The Franklin would be one of the shortest-serving Essex class carriers, fighting from January of 1944 until February of 1945 when the ship was seriously damaged by Japanese fighters, but was not s...See more