His Pearl Harbor Death Was Highly Exaggerated-- Part 10:

James Hamlin was on the USS Chicago at the Battles of the Coral Sea and Guadalcanal in 1942.    Again, he was not hurt when a Japanese torpedo smashed the bow of the Chicago off Savo Island (by Guadalcanal).  And, he escaped death again when the Chicago was sunk by Japanese planes January 29-30, 1943.

He was serving on the USS La Salle, a transport, when it landed Marines at the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943.  He said,  "I remember singing 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' when we put them ashore.  A lot of them didn't make it though."

--GreGen