More patrol and escort duty in the Mediterranean followed until 24 August, when "Benson" joined TF-81 in final preparations for landing on the mainland of Italy. At dawn on 9 September, the Allied troops went ashore on Salerno's beaches and met fierce opposition while the Luftwaffe struck continuously at the warships of the invaders. At mid-morning on 11 September, a Dornier Do 217 warplane released a radio-controlled glide bomb which struck the No. 3 turret of "Savannah" (CL-42) and pierced through the light cruiser until it exploded in her lower ammunition handling room, opening seams in the ship's hull and tearing a large hole in her bottom. Valiant and efficient damage control parties stemmed the stricken cruiser's flooding, corrected her list, extinguished her fires, and enabled her to resume moving under her own power. "Benson" then helped to escort "Savannah" to Malta for temporary repairs that enabled her to return to the United States for permanent patching.