 Hamner served to fit out and commission several new ships during the war, in addition to serving in the 12th Naval District and at Norfolk, Va.He was appointed lieutenant in July 1944.Lieutenant Hamner died 6 April 1945 aboard , when the ship was crashed by a kamikaze during the suicidal Japanese "kikusui" massed attack of that day off Okinawa where "the fleet had come to stay".