Launched on the 14th of August 1912, Kanangra is a steel-hulled K-class ferry that operated on Sydney Harbour until 1985. Originally coal fired, she was converted to diesel in 1959.
Kanangra is currently sited on a floating dock at Rozelle Bay as part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet. Restoration work intends to restore her to the 1960s configuration with diesel power.
Laid down on 7 December 1942 and launched on 14 October 1943, USS Franklin CV-13 was an Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy. Commissioned into the navy on 31 January 1944 she then undertook a work-up phase before moving to the Pacific.
From the end of June 1944, Franklin took part in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaigns which lasted until early August. She then supported the Leyte Landings, where on the 15th of September, she was hit by a bomb on the after outboard corner of the deck edge elevator, killing three men and wounding 22.
On the morning of 24 October, in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, her planes formed part of the waves that attacked the Japanese First Raiding Force (under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita), helping to sink Musashi south of Luzon, damage Fusō and Yamashiro, and sink Wakaba. Franklin’s strike groups combined with those from the other carriers on 25 October in the Battle off Cape Engaño to damage Chiyoda (she would be sunk by American cruiser gunfire subsequently) and sink Zuihō.
On 30 October 1944, Franklin was struck by a Japanese kamikaze attack that hit the flight deck and crashed through to the gallery deck, killing 56 men and wounding 60. A second attacker missed Franklin with two bombs before flying into the stern of Belleau Wood. Repairs took until 2 February 1945.
While undertaking strikes against the Japanese mainland on 19 March 1945, Franklin was hit by two semi-armour piercing bombs dropped by a Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” dive bomber. One bomb struck the flight deck centerline, penetrating to the hangar deck, causing destruction and igniting fires through the second and third decks, and knocking out the combat information center and air plot. The second hit aft, tearing through two decks.
At the time, Franklin was preparing a raid an consequently numerous plane were fueled and armed on deck and in the hanger. This added significantly to the damage caused and the intensity of the fires. Casualty figures vary from 724 killed and 265 wounded to 807 killed and at least 487 wounded. This appears to be caused by the inclusion or not of passengers, civilians on board, air group casualties and marines.
USS Franklin was repaired in New York and returned to active duty after the war finished. She was placed in reserve on 17 February 1947. Due to the significant wartime damage, she was never reactivated or upgraded. While in reserve she was redesignated as an attack aircraft carrier CVA-13 on 1 October 1952, an antisubmarine warfare support carrier CVS-13 on 8 August 1953 and, ultimately, as an aircraft transport AVT-8 on 15 May 1959.
USS Franklin was sold for scrap on 27 July 1966.
HMS York was a heavy cruiser of the York class, built for the Royal Navy in the late 1920s. She was the lead ship of her class, which also included HMS Exeter. The York class was base on the preceding County class cruisers, and designed to smaller and cheaper while having better armour.
HMS York was laid down at the shipyard of John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland, on 16 May 1926. She was launched on 17 July 1928, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 1 May 1930.
HMS York was armed with six 8-inch (203 mm) guns in three twin turrets, four 4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts, and six 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in two tripple mounts. She was also equipped with a catapult and could operate one Supermarine Walrus seaplane.
HMS York served extensively during World War II. She participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, and she was later deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. On 26 March 1941, she was badly damaged by two Italian explosive motor boats in a dawn attack at Suda Bay, north Crete. The motorboats, each armed with 300-kg (667 lb) charges in the bows, were piloted by Italian Navy officers. Two boiler rooms and one engine room were flooded and the ship was run aground to prevent her sinking. On 18 May, a Luftwaffe air attack further damaged York. She was subsequently scuttled after her guns were wrecked.
The wreck of HMS York was raised and salvage for scrap in 1952.
