After brief duty on the staff of Submarine Squadron 10, Benson assumed command of the submarine USS "Trigger" (SS-237) on August 29, 1942. Edward L. Beach would later credit Benson's leadership during the next four war patrols for restoring the crew's morale. Ironically, Benson's most far-reaching contribution to the submarine campaign against the Japanese Empire was the failure to sink the aircraft carrier "Hiyō" during his final war patrol as "Trigger"'s skipper. This proved to be the "final straw" for Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, the Commander Submarines Pacfific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), who ordered the magnetic exploders be deactivated on the trouble-plagued Mark 14 torpedo.