Commander Shaffer Dies From His Wounds

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 effort to save his life, but his wounds were simply too serious.  At 08:03 on April 8th, 1944, Captain Shaffer died.

Commander John Jackson Shaffer, III was an exemplary Commanding Officer who served with honor his entire military career.  He had even been aboard and survived the attack on the USS Arizona during Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.

The projectile that had killed Shaffer was determined later to have exploded as a result of improperly out firing cam cut-out which did not allow for the open lid of the ready box.