Museum

On Eternal Patrol #2

On Eternal Patrol

Dudley Walker Morton

morton-d-w-238 Dudley Walker Morton was born in Owensboro, Kentucky on July 17, 1907. At the Naval Academy, he received the nickname "Mushmouth," after a character in the cartoon strip Moon Mullins, whose large square jaw and prominent mouth resembled Morton's. The nickname was later shortened to "Mush."

Morton took command of USS Wahoo (SS-236) on December 31, 1942, after her second war patrol. He agressively conducted the boat and her crew through her next five patrols, compiling the best record of the War to that point. While exiting the Sea of Japan through the narrow La Perouse Strait on her seventh patrol, Wahoo was sunk with all hands by Japanese air and naval forces on October 11, 1943.

Admiral Charles Lockwood wrote, "When a natural leader and born daredevil such as Mush Morton is given command of a submarine, the result can only be a fighting ship of the highest order, with officers and men who would follow their skipper to the Gates of Hell…. And they did." Added Lockwood, "Morton lined up an impressive number of 'firsts' during the short ten months that he commanded Wahoo: first to penetrate an enemy harbor and sink a ship therein; first to use successfully a down the throat shot; and first to wipe out an entire convoy single-handed."

wahoo-wreck-stern Motron's boat, USS Wahoo, was found on July 28, 2006, in the La Perouse Strait by a team of Russian divers led by Vladimir Kartashev. The vessel is at a depth of 213 feet. A memorial ceremony for her officers and men was hosted by USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park on October 11, 2007. Over two hundred family members and friends of the Wahoo crew attended the event.

Secrets of the Sub

Victory At Cost

Victory at a cost

During World War II, The United States Submarine Force, encompassing less than 2% of the U.S. Navy's fleet, inflicted destruction on Japanese maritime power. U.S. submarines were responsible for sinking over 30% of the Japanese Navy including eight aircraft carriers, one battleship and eleven cruisers. More importantly, the Submarine Force sank 2,400 Japanese merchant ships totaling 4.9 million tons.

Chart of Enemy Ships

However, this success did not come without risk. Out of a total of 14,000 submariners who fought in peril under the sea took losses of over 3,500 officers and men. Approximately one in four submariners never returned.

victory-bonefish-plaque-2_web

The USS Bonefish submarine plaque is one of fifty-two memorials at the Waterfront Memorial at Bowfin Park.