Destroyer, made to destroy Nazis

USS Champlin (DD-601) was a Benson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the second ship named for Stephen Champlin.

After escorting a convoy to NS Argentia, Newfoundland, and another to the Panama Canal Zone, Champlin sailed from New York 11 December 1942 on her first convoy crossing to Casablanca, returning to New York 7 February 1943.

 She sailed again on 4 March guarding a convoy which was constantly shadowed by German submarines for 6 days after it passed the Azores on 12 March. On that day, a radar contact was made ahead of the convoy, and Champlin charged ahead to investigate, finding a submarine on the surface. 

She opened fire, and attempted to ram the enemy, which made a crash dive. Champlin hurled a pattern of depth charges into the swirl, and sank U-130 at position 37°10′N 20°21′W. 

As the convoy plodded east, Champlin and the other escorts fought a constant battle to protect it, but the convoy lost three merchantmen before reaching Casablanca.

 Champlin rescued every member of Wyoming's 127-man crew, as well as taking aboard two survivors from Molly Pitcher. 

The return convoy which arrived at Boston, Massachusetts 15 April was without incident.
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On 6 January 1945, Champlin returned to Atlantic convoy escort, sailing for Oran. On 30 January, she cleared Oran to rendezvous with the group bringing President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Malta, where he was to enplane for the Yalta Conference.

 She later escorted this same group back into the Atlantic, and on 20 February returned to Gibraltar for patrol and convoy escort duty in the western Mediterranean. 

On 22 April, she departed Oran for New York and preparations for deployment to the Pacific Ocean.