The Legend of the Wahoo
It began in January 1943, when Morton became the commander of the submarine for its third patrol of the war. The aggressive skipper sailed into New Guinea’s Wewak Harbor, going after a Japanese destroyer. His first five bow torpedoes missed their target, and then the enemy spotted him. Then, they turned and charged straight at the Wahoo.
Source: US Naval History and Heritage Command
Morton waited until the destroyer was 800 yards away to fire the final lethal torpedo. As he wrote in his patrol report, he “broke his back. The explosion was terrific.” The Wahoo went on to sink another four ships before returning to Pearl Harbor. On the submarine’s next two patrols, it sank nine large merchant ships and damaged two. The Wahoo was on a roll. But it didn’t last…