Samuel Artist Templeton of the USS Grunion
A Tennessean Disappears in World War II Aboard a U.S. Submarine
Mar 20, 2009 Ronald G Falconberry
The USS Grunion (SS-216) left the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on June 30, 1942, bound for her first war patrol near the western edge of the Aleutian Islands. The Gato-class attack submarine reported several encounters with Japanese forces up through July 30, when she reported an increase in anti-submarine activity. The USS Grunion was ordered to proceed to the American base at Dutch Harbor, Alaska but she was never seen or heard from again.
One of the crewman on the USS Grunion was Gunner's Mate, First Class Samuel Artist Templeton.
Early Life of Samuel Templeton
Samuel Templeton was born on April 5, 1920, to Artist and Belle Templeton, the youngest of six children. Known to his family and friends as Sammy or Sam, he grew up on Slater's Creek near Millersville, Tennessee, located about twenty miles north of Nashville. Samuel grew up on the farm where his family raised cattle and hogs, harvested tobacco and grew fresh produce which was sold at the Farmer's Market in Nashville. He attended White House High School graduating in 1937.
Samuel Templeton's Navy Service Before World War II
Samuel Templeton enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 22, 1937 in Nashville and trained at the Naval Training Station in Norfolk, Virginia. After his training, he served on the battleship USS Arkansas (BB-33), became certified as a deep sea diver and was classified as a Gunner's Mate.
In March, 1940, Templeton transferred to the destroyer USS. Ellis (DD-154) and, in April, 1941, extended his enlistment for an additional two years. From July through December of that year the USS Ellis participated in convoy duty in the North Atlantic. Templeton's commanding officer wrote that his "performance of duty during this period has been commendable and a credit to the traditional high standards of the U.S. Navy." He received a Good Conduct Medal as a result of his service.
Samuel Templeton Transfers to USS Grunion
Templeton transferred to the New London, Connecticut-based submarine school on December 4, 1941. The training was quite intensive but he appeared to enjoy it. In a letter to his parents dated December 17, 1941, he wrote, "My class is in session now and it takes about 12 hours of study a day in order to learn all that I want to...This duty is very interesting it's so much different from what I have been used to."
Completing his training in late February, he reported for service aboard the USS Grunion on April 11, 1942 where he qualified for submarine duty two weeks later and was later designated as Gun Captain 2nd Class. On May 24, USS Grunion departed New London, Connecticut and arrived in Pearl Harbor on June 20. After ten days of additional training, the submarine headed off to war, never to return.
Mystery of Samuel Templeton and USS Grunion Solved
After the mysterious loss of the USS Grunion, family members of the missing crewmen were left to wonder what happened to their loved ones. Even after the war, the Joint Army Navy Assessment Committee (JANAC) could find no records in Japanese military documents correlating to the boat's disappearance.
Tom Templeton, one of Samuel's nephews, recalls how much his grandmother grieved over the loss of her son. He still possesses an unfinished quilt that Belle Templeton was making at the time of Samuel's disappearance and stopped working on.
Sixty years later an unexpected series of events renewed the search for the USS Grunion resulting in the discovery of the submarine in August 2006 on the ocean floor near Kiska Island.
Reaction to Discovery of USS Grunion
Learning that the USS Grunion had been located,Tom Templeton wrote, "I began to reflect on my Grandmother's feelings of grief which I witnessed as a boy" and recounted how it was hard to hold back his emotions. This was particularly true when he joined family members of the other lost crew members at the USS Grunion Family Memorial Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, in October, 2008. Finally knowing the fate of their loved ones after six decades of unanswered questions produced a great deal of emotional release.
According to Tom, however, his feelings were "proud emotions for my Uncle and the brave men who gave their last devotion for my freedoms in the cold waters of the North Pacific. If we could only instill into the hearts and minds of this generation what it truly means to be free... If only they could in some way experience my feelings toward my Uncle Sam... America would be a better place. Let us never forget."
Samuel Templeton at Home in Tennessee
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Samuel Templeton, New York, Spring 1940
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USS Arkansas (BB-33) in New York, 1940 (013344)
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USS Ellis (DD-154), Circa 1940s
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USS Grunion (SS-216), March 1942
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