This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Matt Adams-Family
to remember
Whittington, Champ Hansen, BM1c.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Rock Springs, WY
Last Address Sacramento, CA
Date of Passing Nov 11, 1984
Location of Interment East Lawn Memorial Park - Sacramento, California
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Like his first name, Champ served aboard and was also a boxer on the USS Enterprise sometime between March 23, 1942 and September 24, 1945.
Champ was a Petty Officer; stationed during World War 2 on the U.S.S. Enterprise. His last Duty Station I guess was San Francisco. He served from March 12, 1942 to Sempter 24, 1945. I believe he lived and grew up in Sacramento. I appreciate any help- like I said, I'm just looking for a picture anyone might have of him. Many Thanks Again.
Fellow Vet. Matt Adams; Champ's grand-son / July, 2015
Other Comments:
Service number: 6625484
Presidential Unit Citation
For consistently outstanding performance and distinguished achievement during repeated action against enemy Japanese forces in the Pacific war area, 7 December 1941, to 15 November 1942. Participating in nearly every major carrier engagement in the first year of the war, the Enterprise and her air group, exclusive of far-flung destruction of hostile shore installations throughout the battle area, did sink or damage on her own a total of 35 Japanese vessels and shot down a total of 185 Japanese aircraft. Her aggressive spirit and superb combat efficiency are fitting tribute to the officers and men who so gallantly established her as an ahead bulwark in the defense of the American nation.
Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign (1944)/Battle of Philippine Sea
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War. The battle was the last of five major "carrier-versus-carrier" engagements between American and Japanese naval forces, and pitted elements of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet against ships and aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mobile Fleet and nearby island garrisons.
The aerial part of the battle was nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by American aviators for the severely disproportional loss ratio inflicted upon Japanese aircraft by American pilots and anti-aircraft gunners. During a debriefing after the first two air battles a pilot from USS Lexington remarked "Why, hell, it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!" The outcome is generally attributed to American improvements in pilot and crew training and tactics, technology (including the top-secret anti-aircraft proximity fuze), and ship and aircraft design. Although at the time the battle appeared to be a missed opportunity to destroy the Japanese fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost the bulk of its carrier air strength and would never recover. During the course of the battle, American submarines torpedoed and sank two of the largest Japanese fleet carriers taking part in the battle.
This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history.
