![]() During his days at Pearl Harbor, Amundson worked on salvage duty, removing ammunition and anything else they could save from the ships that were heavily damaged or sunk during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. By November 1, 1942, he had arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Then, after nine days off to say his goodbyes to family and friends back at home, he boarded a train bound for Alameda Air Station in San Francisco, California. Navy in short supply of manpower, Amundson spent just 21 days at boot camp in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In September 1942,Īt the age of 17, he went to Mankato and enlisted in the Navy. Born a few miles south of Hadley, he grew up in Woodstock and attended one year of high school in Pipestone before dropping out to go to work on the farm. ![]() Amundson’s story begins in southwest Minnesota. Their harrowing ordeal had finally ended. They did all they could to remain awake, to stay safe from the sharks circling in the distance and to keep each other from going crazy until a patrol ship came to their rescue in the dark of night on October 27, 1944. Amundson was among 37 men who either sat on or held onto one of ![]() Most of the men had donned life jackets before jumping overboard, and many sought out floater nets - large pieces of netting with floats interspersed through them. They floated for 44 hours at sea, the injured taking refuge in life rafts to avoid attracting sharks with a nose for iron-rich blood. Still, an estimated 800 men survived - among them,Ĭarl “Whitey” Amundson of Chandler. More than 120 of the Gambier Bay’s sailors were killed in action, with anotherĢ08 wounded in battle. She remains at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean today, a victim of an Imperial Japanese Navy attack on The USS Gambier Bay went down in history as the only American aircraft carrier to be sunk by gunfire during World War II. She remains at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean today, a victim of an Imperial Japanese Navy attack on October 25, 1944. Sailor Survived a Sinking Ship/Carl Amundson Served Aboard USS Gambier Bayīy: Julie Buntjer, Worthington Daily GlobeĬHANDLER – The USS Gambier Bay went down in history as the only American aircraft carrier to be sunk by gunfire during World War II. ![]()
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