Legendary Duo-Mush Morton and USS Wahoo-Episode 203
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
- This week Seth and Bill discuss the patrols of the legendary US fleet boat, USS Wahoo (SS-238), and her equally legendary skipper, Dudley W. "Mush" Morton. Morton and Wahoo became tied at the hip and together, with Dick O'Kane and an unbelievable cast of officers and men, rewrote the "book" on how to conduct submarine operations against the Empire of Japan in 1943.
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I went by today and saw his memorial it's in my home town of Owensboro, Ky. It's a WW2 torpedo on a cement base with a plaque dedicated to Cap. Morton and his crew!! I'm so proud that he's from Owensboro!!
I am a Vietnam LRRP commander. You mentioned that O'Kane became EXTREMELY aggressive after Wahoo was sunk. I can tell you, war becomes personal and, yes, you can become so frightened, so consumed with war, that you throw caution to the wind and go after the enemy with a fury that will startle even yourself. You go out to the bush with a cold ugly mindset wherein your only thought, your only reason for being, is to find and kill the enemy. It's not nice, it's not politically correct, but it IS war. And war is never half way. And if you do NOT have the killer mindset, you may well die and you may get your own men killed, too.
Semper Fidelis Soldier, glad you made it home. Thank you for your service and sacrifice my friend and fellow Veteran.
Thank you for your extreme insight into war. Those of us who never served and never saw combat will never ever know what you went through, what you did, and what you saw. Like you said it's not pretty and it can even be startling to your own self is very telling. Thank you so much for your service and I'm glad you made it out of there alive. Much love from Seattle!❤
Only guys like you truly understand.
The snorkle was not invented by the Germans but by the Dutchman Jacob Wichers and was first applied to Dutch submarines. The Germans found the design after the conquest of the Netherlands in 1940 and used it in their own submarines. Thanks for your wonderful conversations.
Thank you for the insight
Thank you. I learned something today, so thanks again.
@bcvanrijswijk Dutch used their snorkel mast only to refresh air inside submarine, it was Germans which invented that you can in addition fed air from snorkel mast to diesel engines.
Couple U-boats accomplished almost 10 weeks continuously underwater with snorkel mast. One snorkeled whole war patrol, another travelled the whole lenght of Atlantic Sea to Argentina underwater.
Refreshing submarines (fouled) air during ww2, if enemy was not near, needed only to rise enough to have sail upper hatch above sea level, open it, and start diesels for few tens of seconds. But why invent means to stay underwater longer without means of manouvering? Thats anathema to German U-boat doctrine. Dutch invention clearly was what got Germans to innovate it further.
I read Sterling's book when I was still in grade-school. I was so enthralled, that I've read every submarine-book about the U.S. boats in the Pacific war that I could lay my hands on. I am now 80 and to this day, my opinion of the U.S. submariners is that they were the bravest of the brave! From a retired Canadian "Sapper", I say to you, "Bravo Zulu"!
We must have started reading about these men at the same time.! I just turned 80!
Great story delivered well! My father-in-law served with Admiral Lockwood as his Orderly during WW2 and told me about the impact of the loss of USS Wahoo. You can't believe how loved Mush Morton was and how his death was felt by everyone who knew him! Being remembered fondly is probably the greatest honor anyone can give! As I listened to this presentation, I thought of Jack Taylor and his stories of the submarine service and those he served with. Well done and keep it up!
Thanks Craig for that insight based on a personal connection. I might have had one as well, but really didn't talk much with a sibling's uncle-in-law, who was one of the celebrated Sea of Japan sub skippers.
Guys, that was absolutely a spellbinding bit of storytelling. You've both become very, very good at this. The thing that routinely amazes me about your podcast is how you routinely pick out these great tales that we don't get to hear about anywhere else and deliver them with finesse. We love the detail and the passion every time. Please keep it up!
Thank you for the kind words. We try and bring the human element to the greatest human tragedy in history.
-SP
As a midshipman, I was on a fast attack boat during a FLEETEX. Our high capacity desalination plant was down hard before we left and everyone knew it. Our other plant could maintain water for the reactor, but not enough for the crew. As a result only the cooks and Corpeman were allowed to shower once a day. The rest of us could wash our hands and face and shave but no showers and no laundry. It was the last time I ever went to sea with less than 3 times the recommended supply of uniforms and underwear which - when you have water issues, changing into clean clothes is a big deal.
Now you know how us in diesel boat felt all the time at sea😞
When I was 11-14 years old I wanted to be a submarine captain. I read all the books about our WWII submarines and knew more about Mush Mortan, Richard O'Kane, and Eugene Fluckey than I did about our local sports stars. My friends thought I was crazy. That desire to be in the Navy faded, but I do have a signed copy of Adm. Fluckey's book and it's one of my most prized possessions.
In 3rd grade the class was given an assignment to write a theme on, Why I Want To Join The Circus. I didn't want the circus, I wanted submarines!
Both my teacher and mother thought it well written but my paper got an F because I didn't follow the instructions. I didn't care, I was proud of my paper.
1964
San Diego, CA
I also wanted to be a submarine captain when I was 10yrs old, loved “The Hunt for The Red October” but my grades weren’t good enough in school, so only made it as a Sonar petty officer 3rd class, great times, but not good for a family man.
Nice to see that the Wahoo will live on as SN-806, a Virginia Block V currently under construction, along with USS Barb [SSN-804], Tang [SSN-805], and Silversides [SSN-807]. Bring back the fish!
The Wahoo, fittingly, will be one of the forthcoming Virginia class submarines.
My friend Ken Braithwaite has made it so
Placed my message before I saw Bill say it. Still is nice
For about 4 years, I lived in St. Augustine, FL. While there, i became friends with a guy who had a 24' fishing boat. He and I spent a lot of time fishing in the coastal area near St. Augusting (and surrounds). That coastal area was good wahoo fishing turf and my partner and I would catch wahoo often. I was familiar with the story of the USS Wahoo and told the story to my fishing buddy who handled caught wahoo roughly. I had always taken care to release any wahoo I caught quickly and carefully since i never kept them. After hearing the story of USS Wahoo, my buddy, and anyone fishing from his boat extended extra care when releasing any wahoo we caught. I think the story influenced my friend and that story , I also think that the story influenced us all to take extra care to keep that amazing species of fish alive and healthy in the ocean, brawling with any who hooked one. They truly are brawlers.
A very interesting and moving story for sure. Good work. Thank you.
One commenter stated this podcast is "self-regarding and self-indulgent." I could not disagree more. WW II was a massive undertaking of armies, navies and air forces and from that standpoint is a story about how nations and huge forces waged the conflict. At the same time WW II was intensely personal as illustrated by your accounts of Chesty Puller and others at Guadalcanal and now Morton to name but a few of the examples you have provided in your podcasts I think you are doing a great job of showing the clash of grand forces while also demonstrating the importance that one person at the right place and right time can have in the conduct of war. Macro and micro history must be understood in order to obtain as complete a picture of the PTO as we can and glean the lessons that history can teach.
Morton's pep talk is like that of Cimmander Ernest Evans of the Destroyer USS Johnston, who told his crew: "this is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now". Evans went on to heroic action in the Battle of Samar, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
The 😢😮
I still have my Dad's copy of "Wake of the Wahoo", and first read it when I was about 10-11 years old. Mush Morton, a true American hero. Never Forget 💝
Bill, I love the fact that when it came to following the checklist you thought, “What would Mush do?”that is so awesome! Great skippers always learn from great skippers
I'm also happy that you were never forced to the surface under the circumstances Morton and Wahoo found themselves.
Tremendous episode. Seth’s knowledge and Captain Toti’s experience make for a great experience for the viewer. Please keep these coming.
The two of you are doing an awesome job and you’re filling in a major gap in presenting the history of the Pacific theater in WWII. Looking forward to every new episode. Also it’s great that you are providing exposure to hardworking and extremely well knowledged historians like Dave Holland for us. You are providing a wealth of new knowledge for me as well as also validating my understanding and beliefs of the history. Keep up the awesome work!!! God Bless
P.S. Like the 12 O’clock High Toby mug on the bookcase.
th-cam.com/video/tA3r7ZxuS9s/w-d-xo.html
Blowing the dust off some of the extant titles by some very talented and dedicated historians is certainly one of the benefits of the podcast and its history classes!
Thanks Bill and Seth. This is a nice way to end a hard and mentally draining day.
Come here drained, get replenished. I believe the Navy came to call this procedure UNREP!
Want to echo all the praise and appreciation for this episode, and the channel generally. A small travel tip for anyone visiting San Diego. At "Liberty Station", the spectacularly re-purposed former Naval Training Center/San Diego, in the huge area left as a city park, there are rows of small monuments to Pacific theater submarines, giving their names, dates of service, and fates (as I recall). Well worth a look for WWII aficionados.
When I was a kid in the '60s, Scholastic Books had a lot of WW2 stories written (or ghost written) by veterans. I have several older brothers so there was a large collection of these books around our house, dating back to the 50s. I read them all, and they were surprisingly candid, they sanitized the language, but not the stories. The book about the Bataan death march was pretty graphic - I guess kids could handle it back then. One of the books was about submarines and there was a chapter or section either written by, or in which O'Kane was quoted. He talked about Mush Morton (along with Buzz Aldrin one of the greatest hero names ever) and his leadership style with O'Kane manning the periscope freeing Morton to better visualize the attack. He also talked about Morton's original officer staff and how they were able to let Morton when they had been "daring enough" (my quotes) and it was time to leave. O'Kane went on to say that if Morton's original officer staff had been with him on his last patrol, he probably would have made it back. I suspect that to his original staff, he was simply "Mush" but to his later staff, he was "the Legendary Mush", and they didn't feel they could question him. I have used this example many times with the people who have worked for me, its my decision, but I need your input. I think this was a big part of Morton's genius. I wish I could remember what those books were, they were a treasure trove - it was far too long ago! Keep up the amazing work guys!
I think you hit the nail on the head with your analysis of the effect the evisceration of the ward room had on the last patrol.
Gentlemen, from a "civvie" ... Thank you so much. I CAN'T stop watching, although I am still about 15 episodes behind.
Between Seth's invaluable treasure trove of information (and great writing) and Bill's irresistible charm, enthusiasm, experience and strong moral compass, this show is impossible to ignore.
My thoughts exactly. But I'm not behind. I'm on my third time through some of the series.
They need a Mush Morton movie! Such an amazing story
As for Morton's actions against the survivors and boats, it is tragic that the lives of Indian POWs were lost. When I consider, however, the way the Japanese comported themselves during that war and the extent to which they have taken responsibility for the inhuman horrors they inflicted, I do not have the slightest space in my heart to question Morton's actions at any point.
Agreed. The Japanese have much to atone for and they could learn that lesson from post-war Germany. They, the Germans paid reparations, they de-Nazified the entire country and rehabilitated the brainwashed population. They made conscious efforts of worldwide apologies for what their military and Leadership did during World War II. Regarding the Japanese, they were a different beast altogether. Cruelty was the order of the day always. My dad was a veteran of World War II, US Navy South Pacific stationed aboard the USS Montpelier which was a light cruiser. My dad said there was a saying back in the day that went, "wherever the Japanese go torture, rape, and murder followed."
. No truer words were spoken. Rest in peace dad. You did your job and you did it well.💖🙏⚓️
Thank you for covering Mush Morton and USS Wahoo. I would suggest Sam Dealy and USS Harder, the destroyer killer.
Coming...
Dealey
In Nebraska, the county seat of Saunders County is Wahoo, NE. The town was originally named for a shrub, BUT they honor the memory of USS Wahoo by displaying a USN 21-inch torpedo on a stone display in front of the county courthouse that features a plaque. Reportedly there is also a plastic model of the USS Wahoo on display in the city. So, this small town still remembers the famous submarine.
Thanks for sharing. That’s a good memorial. I think you mean feet, not inches though
@Gary Binder THE FINNISH JAZZ SAXOPHONIST EERO KOIVISTOINEN has an lp from 73 called Wahoo, value in Japan in $$$$$. Funkish fusion jazz. ALSO : The most famous citizen out of W is DARRYL F. ZANUCK -The czar of FOX ; the only non-jewish mogul of Hwood s Golden Era ...see the doc HOLLYWOODISM if interested in the said ....approach, is on the forum, from 98.
So it goes - Kurt Vonnegut . Tervehdys Suomesta = saludos desde Finlandia ! We will be in NATO this or next week, not a reason to party cuz The Bear wont go anywhere anyhow ...
From shrub to sub
Yes indeed. My home county seat.
@@MrDWCallahan that puts me only 15-ish miles to the south 🙂
Chronologically, the classes were Tambor, Mackerel (2 small boats that ended up being used for training), Gato, Balao, and Tench (which were coming into production late in the war). A couple of classes of fleet boats preceded the Tambors. Like "Standard" BBs a couple of decades earlier, the USN found a "right" concept (the Porpoise class?), and did classes and sub-classes that made incremental improvements, leading to the Tambors, Gatos, etc..
When the two of you were describing the death of Wahoo it was like I was there and I cried for that boat and crew. Thank you.
The Fates.
Another great podcast. You keep improving, hard to do considering the high level you have established. Well done!
Wa Hoo ! Thanks for all you guys do! Great to wake up to a new episode.
Thanks guys so much for sharing your knowledge and research with us! Great content!
The best Pacific War podcast out there keeps churning these great episodes out! Thanks Seth and Bill!
It's men like Mush Morton and Dick O'Kane who embodied the greatest generation and helped us become the most powerful nation in history. We owe them a debt we can never repay. They have my deepest respect, admiration, and appreciation. I'm sorry they are gone from us.
I think we have drawn the account down about as far as its ability to keep us going...
Great show gentlemen.
I would describe Mush as fatalistic at the point he lost all his wardroom officers. God Bless you Mush, rest in peace.Your star shines brightly to this day, inspiring submariners to this day.
I wonder if Admiral Lockwood trusted his gut more after not getting Morton some rest before that sixth patrol, especially with the ongoing torpedo quality and failure issues. Those were still unresolved in mid 1943. The beginning of 1944 saw the light shine on those issues, too late for Morton, but ohh, so close. Agonizingly close.
Probably one of (if not THE), best discussions of any subject on this channel, to date.
The anecdotal accounts of Morton, his personality, and his relationship with the men that served under him, as well as his superiors, was conveyed superbly well, here. So much so, that the revelation of the loss of Wahoo at the end, nearly had me in tears.
The nation lost so (and too), many great young men during WW2. Not to mention the wars after. Let us all pray that the newly commissioned Wahoo is never given a "reason" to attempt to match Morton's boat's war record, at any time in the future.
Great work ! What a hero ! What a submarine ! The US Navy at its best.
The introductory music makes the point. A sense of urgency underlies the score but the calming tones make the point. We will prevail against evil. Beautiful, and well chosen.
Thank you. Looked far and wide to find that one
Perfect timing again!!! I have a busy morning later, but I have time to spare now, and just got into the tub for a nice long soak!!
Wow, such sacrifice! Very grateful for these men and all they did.
I really like your show. Please keep it going. Your both pleasant to listen too. Your the best WW2 pacific show on the internet.I,m so glad when a new episode came out. Keep it up
Thank you
Four Stars... Excellent material!!!
Given how adaptable and resilient the carp is, had the _USS Carp_ been launched early enough to get a significant war record, then certainly going into detail on the fish the sub was named for would be quite worthwhile.
I stumbled across this channel by chance. I watched one of the Guadalcanal videos which lead to watching another then another. I like the way you all go in depth, not only of the events but more importantly, the people involved in those events. Who they were and the what,when, where and why. Very informative and very well done. I just subscribed. Look forward to future videos.
Amazingly well done and it was all about just one ship. Please more episodes like this in the future it was so engrossing.
What a story. Just incredible and so well told.
This is one of the very few TH-cam videos that I've really enjoyed, most times they are enlightening.
Wow ! Cap, even as a GMG2 Viet Nam era. My jaw dropped and hung open while your telling the story of going to the "N 1" amazing just amazing...
Is it possible red saves battery power? Even a little savings could make a big difference. I totally love the history of the early days .. the guts it took and a shame more people don't know the incredible events in the Pacific. Just the greatest most important content delivered so amazing well. I thought I knew the S Pacific early days but you guys bring it to life. It's like being on the Wahoo - well done
For a contemporary comparison, the most numerous U-boat class, the Type VII, was about half the displacement of a Gato, and Gatos were ~50% larger than the Type IX U-boat.
@Pete Storz but not IXD2 ....the Luth/Gysae monsoon boats, that went to Penang. Ntm Die Milch Kuche / the milk cows ...
Im 75 now, and to date, no one has received or taken the blame for the bad torpedoes, I am aware you guys have a schedule but would love to see you do something that actually names the people who were responsible for the deficient torpedoes
Heartbreaking ending. But, war isn't Hollywood. Deep respect for Mush and the Wahoo.
RCn Mars-bar here. What the skipper says about mental math is absolutely 💯 gospel truth. A sea officer who can't do trig in their head (speaking as a navo for whom it was always bloody hard work) is not effective. It's essential to surface operations when conducting manouvers and is the meat and potatoes of ASW ops. This is a brilliant series. Thanks from Canada!
Hey Fellas! This was a wonderful and touching episode. Thank you so much.
I may have some information on one of those obscure techy things that only Y'all and I'all seem to find fascinating.
A number of years ago I worked for a large corporation that made hydraulically powered/actuated equipment. As it happened I worked in their hydraulic tube facility. Among other things, I was a certified "hand brazer." About a week ago, I watched a vid on the loss of the Thresher, and this background caused me to jump up and exclaim OH MY GOD!!! Until then I did not know that the USN used brazed joints on submarine plumbing.
When I was brazing hydraulic tubes, they were being rated for a pressure of 120,000psi, or double the maximum pressure developed by a .30'06 rifle round. If done correctly, such joints are incredibly robust.
However, this manufacturer had a failure rate of thirty percent. Allow me to clarify: thirty percent when tested to 100psi of air pressure--on a 120.000psi rated hydraulic tube. It was only after Thresher had been made that a process was invented to scan these joints effectively. Thus, less than 10% of Thresher's joints had been tested, and of those tested, 14% did not meet the standard. This is an unfortunate artifact of the very human tragedy that the process itself (the chemistry and its application) is not fully understood by brazers, engineers, or even metallurgists. Each of these disciplines understands its piece, but not the other ones. And each discipline is too smart to stoop to asking the others any questions.
You put me in mind of this by mentioning that in WWII sub plumbing was brazed.
Thank you both for bringing your viewpoints to an area of history that never really received enough attention, then or now...
I had to take a moment and tell you both how much I appreciate this channel. I served in the NAVY from '69 - '73, as a part of a training unit in Brunswick Me. My primary job was operating and repairing a P3 simulator, (A P3 was a Submarine hunting aircraft), I also filled in at our S.E.R.E school.
I'd like to think that I have always appreciated the sacrifice made by all those who served during WWII, but you have taken that appreciation to another level. Thank you both, and Capt Toti, I salute you!
Fascinating subject. Most people don’t have any idea how a submarine works. My son-in-law was a nuclear operator on the USS Sunfish Attack Sub. A girlfriend I had back in 1972, her father served on the USS Nautilus. He was serving when it made its famous dive under the North Pole. I saw a certificate of appreciation from the President, Sec of Defense, and Sec of the Navy.
This may be the best program yet you two have made. Outstanding.
From all reports submarine service was and is very tough. This podcast is a fitting tribute to submariners. Thank you.
I have listen to about 8 of your podcast now. Mostly naval operations. You have a great ability to paint a picture with words that develop the operation and the emotion of the crew and relationships. That is simply amazing.
I love this story about this submarine skipper. I was in the Vietnam War, serving 3 tours. My 1st assignment was at a Thai AFB where at one point a legendary commander was in charge. I arrived about 14 mos. after he left, and let me say that man left his fingerprints and his 'can-do' spirit all over the Tactical Fighter Wing. For me it was a contagious endemic experience that stayed with me for the better part of my 2.5 years total assignment there. It affected many other too, everyone just saw through "red tape" details at the real challenges encountered. It also was an attitude that remained with me for the rest of my life. No heros, simply do the job at your best until it's done.
That Wing Commander I refer to was known to go out on the flight line at night with a case of beer, just to get close to his aircraft maintenance troops. Because mission success rode with the wrench turners.
These two men and many more like them were the fabric of what wartime success was made of, both were "in case of war, break glass" kinds of commanders. I'm sure I'd have proudly served equally under both men. The guy I speak of was Col. Robin Olds, eventually to be promoted to Brig Gen. These guys are real heros who, I'm sure never thought of themselves as "heroes," people just doing a difficult but necessary job with country-first attitudes. I hope the U.S. has more people like them, waiting for another emergency kind of situation to happen.
My favorite episode yet
Outstanding gentlemen,outstanding.
OUTSTANDING presentation. GO NAVY! Thank You!
What a great episode!
One of your best. Fascinating!
Great stuff! You are feeding the top of my reading list. (And... Nice 918th Bomb Group mug on the book case.)
What a great way to be educated on sub history. Thanks to you both.
Glad you enjoyed it
Congrats on your skyrocketing numbers. Great shows y’all do
Damn y'all tell a good story.
Great insight! Something to consider though, First Mush Morton patrol the torpedoes somewhat worked. Probably older manufacturing lot numbers where newer modification had not changed the torpedoes weight or speed and allowed contact exploder to function as designed.
Here is a good podcast about the US torpedo fiasco by another great podcaster, Drachinifel.
th-cam.com/video/eQ5Ru7Zu_1I/w-d-xo.html
Bought a copy of Forest Sterling’s Wake of the Wahoo. Thanks for the heads-up. I agree that Guadalcanal was a classroom, but if it was then the U.S.Sub Service was nursery school with a very gifted teacher.
You guys are terrific. I learn so much from listening to you. Thanks for your efforts.
Our pleasure!
Great show!! I have read about the Wahoo and seen tv shows for decades. But you guys still manage to come up with great perspectives on the subject, awesome.
Morton's comments about "buy in or ship out" are redolent of Cmdr Evans's speech at the launch of the USS Johnston, when he quoted JPJ, and told his sailors that those who didn't buy in should leave now.. "I intend to go into harm's way." These two show the Navy at its best -- present arms.
ETA: Glad too to hear that naming ships after stellar antecedents survives beyond the Big E. We should nurture our history, culture, and military customs this way. Wahoo has earnt this honor. So have others yet to receive it.
Episode next season on Evans. What a hero he was.
@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Looking forward to it!
Really enjoyed the presentation.
Love the series. Thank you for doing this!
Great Episode 203 on Mush and Wahoo! Super informative….. keep it coming gents. Cheers
Another great Episode. Thank you both for your effort. Two possible topics for future episodes. 1.) USS Silversides; my late brother-in-law was one of the orginal group of volunteers who partially restored the boat when it was docked at Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. He passed away a few years after it was moved across Lake Michigan to its current home in Muskegon, MI. and 2.) the USS Indianapolis. The sail of the boat is preserved at the Indiana Military Museum. I know it is outside the Pacific War topic of your program, but I, and I think your other listeners would be very interested to hear of Captain Toti's experiences on his former command.
Would love to talk about that
Great show one of the Bests❤. Thanks again fellas. The old show Silent Service from the 50's or 60's had some pretty good episodes.
God bless Mush Morton and his fellow submariners who risked it all and sacrificed everything to protect our country and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today! God bless all of the souls - military and civilian - we have lost in times of war! God bless America!
I laughed and enjoyed this more than any other
Great show
That was quite a story. I am looking forward to Tang. Thanks gentlemen.
A great episode. Mush and the Wahoo need to be remembered. Thank you for making that happen.
On a personal side note, the first book I ever read on the war in the Pacific was Warfish by Grider and Sims. That book, and the exploits of Mush and the Wahoo started a lifelong interest in WWll.
Outstanding program! I enjoyed it very much.
This just gets better and better. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!
Capt. Toti: Assistant directs a play at Annapolis. Meets the Pulitzer Prize winning author. Another checkmark in the Awesome column.
wow good show great info enjoyed it completely couldnt turn away once started thanks
You guys are not just good but consistently good. Bravo to you!
Been waiting for this.
Thank you gentlemen great episode!
Balao was basically a updated Gato. Had better steel so it could go deeper. the Batfish on display here in Oklahoma is a Balao-class boat.
Last Stand On Zombie Island is a fantastic blog kept by a military historian. Most of his postings are on navies of various countries, yet he is just as informative on history and evolution of naval assests, propulsion systems, artillary, and more.
I am only an interested reader. I strongly suggest this blog.
Loved the show. I'm in. The comments are just as entertaining and interesting as the content. A couple of hours ago I got up to piss (I'm Old). Now it is 3:45am and I want to watch some war movies. 😉
It’s amazing how successful the first Wahoo-Morton patrol (3rd patrol) was given, the problems with the torpedoes had not been figured out at that point.
Great program. Thank you.
Love these stories, great podcast. Maybe should be told with dramatic music. And I love the longer podcasts.
Seth and Bill, Thank you for the amazing work you have put in these videos. The content makes the length seem shorter.
This was great! the little details that keeps these heroes memories alive are great! Did not know he was from Miami. Sad ending.
Amazing stories and good additions to what I’ve read.
Mush Morton was the vanguard of a new breed of younger WWII sub skippers who departed from stale, ineffectual old Navy sub doctrine of “fleet support.” Granted, we really didn’t have decent fleet boats online until Tambor I think. But, Mush was a great, inspiring and fearless leader who also knew how to use his skilled junior officers at positions they were best at. O’Kane worked the scope. Mush surveyed the battle and attack scenario. Then there was Grider? He worked the TDC. a true leader puts his best people in the jobs they’re best at. Mush didn’t care about seniority etc.. God bless those warriors now at peace in the Wahoo. Saw the documentary about the wreck discovery. Was a Russian team. They had a small service on board their boat in honor of the crew.
I worked at a senior living community where Captain Bladen Claggett of the Dace lived. While I was there he gave a showing of the movie “The Two David’s and Goliaths” and we got to see the Dace’s battle flag. It was extremely evident that his time in submarines during WWII were his most treasured times in his lengthy Naval career.