This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Robert Cox, YNCS
to remember
Morton, Dudley Walker (Mush), CDR.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Owensboro, Kentucky
Last Address USS Wahoo in the Pacific.
Cdr Morton's remains are actually Lost in the Sea of Japan with the USS Wahoo.
Casualty Date Oct 11, 1943
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Other Cause
Location Japan
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Chain of Command Morton was stationed in the Navy Yard, Philadelphia from February 1937 until May 1939.
Other Memories The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, formerly Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The site's role as a U.S. Navy facility ended on 30 September 1995. Soon after, the site became a commercial shipyard, currently called the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard.
The yard originated on Front Street in Philadelphia and became an official United States Navy site in 1801. With the advent of ironclad warships the site became obsolete and new facilities were built on League Island at the confluence of the Delaware River and Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Naval Aircraft Factory was established at the League Island site in 1917. Just after WW1, a 350-ton capacity Hammerhead Crane was ordered for the yard and for many years it was the largest crane in the US Navy.
Its greatest period came in World War II, when the yard employed 40,000 people on the construction of 53 ships and the repair of 574. During this period, the yard built the famed USS New Jersey and its forty-five thousand ton sister ship, the USS Wisconsin.
After the war, the workforce dropped to 12,000, and in the 1960s new ships began to be contracted out to private companies. The last new ship constructed was the command ship USS Blue Ridge, in 1970.
The yard's closure was originally recommended in 1991 by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, as a result of foreign competition and reduced needs due to the end of the Cold War. Although local politicians tried to keep the Yard open, it finally closed in 1995 with a loss of 7,000 jobs. Senator Arlen Specter charged that the Department of Defense did not disclose the official report on the closing. This resulted in a controversy that led to further legal disputes to no avail. Since its transfer from the government, the property has been sold to Aker Philadelphia Shipyards, formerly Kvaerner, a tanker and commercial shipbuilding firm.
The memorial to the Four Chaplains currently resides on the grounds of the shipyard.
