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Until August 13th, the Champlin runs patrolling missions up and down the Italian coast, including off the cities of Naples, Piombino, and Civita Vecchia. Naples harbor, summer of 1944: Crew of [...]

As the U.S. Fifth Army advanced through Italy, the Champlin is was called upon numerous times to patrol off the Italian coastal cities from May through August 1944.  They saw action on June 2nd [...]

On the way back to New York for repairs, the crew has a funeral service on board for Commander John “Jack” Shaffer ending in his burial at sea.

The Champlin is sent to Brooklyn’s Navy Yard and put in dry dock to be repaired from the damage she sustained in the ramming of the submarine on April 7.

After being hit with shrapnel on April 7th, Captain John “Jack” Shaffer, III was taken to the Emergency Cabin immediately, and would undergo an operation early the next morning in an [...]

On just their third day of submarine patrol, the USS Champlin and accompanying destroyers make contact with a German U-boat, U-856, and spend nearly the entire day trying to destroy it, making [...]

The USS Champlin is assigned to Task Unit 27.5.4, and is in charge of submarine patrol in the Atlantic.  They make contact with a German U-boat that first day on duty, sending two depth charges [...]

From November 13th 1943 to March 11th 1944, the Champlin escorts six different convoys across the Atlantic, with stops including New York, Belfast, and Wales.  The convoys are bringing hundreds [...]

Robert receives his 2nd promotion of the war when he is promoted from Seaman 2nd Class (S2c) to Seaman 1st Class (S1c).

On November 7th, 1943, while on their way to Oran, the convoy comes under attack by a German air raid, armed with aerial torpedos.  The SS Santa Elena, a troop transport ship, is sunk by a [...]