World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Charles Austin Zimmerman, Jr.
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Hometown
Erie, Pennsylvania
Honored By
U.S. Submarine Veteran
He was killed in action with the loss of 79 officers and men, on board USS GUDGEON (SS-211) on her 12th War Patrol. Decorations: Purple Heart. GUDGEON, under the Command of Lieutenant Commander Robert A. Bonin, sailed from Pearl Harbor on 4 April 1944 to conduct her twelfth patrol in an open sea area in the northern Marianas. She left Johnston Island on 7 April 1944, after having topped off with fuel, and was never heard from again. The probability as to the cause for her loss is that she was depth-charged, bombed, or both. USS GUDGEON was declared overdue, presumed lost, on 7 June 1944.