Dudley W . Morton Dudley Walker Morton ( July 17 , 1907 – October 11 , 1943 ) was a submarine commander of the United States Navy during World War II . He was commander of during its third through seventh patrols . " Wahoo " was one of the most - celebrated submarines of World War II , sinking at least 19 Japanese ships , more than any other submarine of the time . Morton and " Wahoo " disappeared in 1943 during a patrol near La Perouse Strait , and was ultimately declared deceased three years later . A native of Owensboro , Kentucky , Morton graduated from the Naval Academy in 1930 . There 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 shortened to " Mush " , by which he was known for much of his life . Career . Prior to the beginning of World War II , he served in the , , , , and the submarines and . Promoted to Commander October 15 , 1942 , he was in nominal command of while it underwent extended repairs at Pearl Harbor . He was relieved to make a war patrol in between November 8 and December 26 as prospective commanding officer , a supernumerary position to prepare him for command of a fleet boat . Morton took command of " Wahoo " on December 31 in Brisbane , Australia . Between January 26 , 1943 and October 11 , he carried out four offensive patrols , during which " Wahoo " was responsible for sinking 19 cargo and transport ships for a combined total of 55 , 000 tons . During " Wahoo " s third war patrol , Morton was responsible for an incident which resulted in shipwrecked soldiers in about twenty lifeboats of sunken Japan ese transport " Bunyo Maru " being fired on while in the water . O ' Kane , who was on " Wahoo " s bridge when the incident took place , likened to attacks on small craft made during the Dunkirk evacuation , and for the same reason : to prevent the enemy from recovering a body of troops that would shortly fight again . However , the Hague Convention of 1907 bans the killing of shipwreck survivors under any circumstances . Controversy still attaches to this action , since survivors in the water may have been deliberately targeted . Vice Admiral Charles A . Lockwood , the contemporary , asserts survivors were army troops and turned machinegun and rifle fire on " Wahoo " while she maneuvered on the surface , and such resistance was common in submarine warfare . Morton ' s exec , Richard O ' Kane , stated fire from " Wahoo " was intended to force the troops to abandon their boats and no troops were deliberately targeted . Clay Blair states Morton opened fire first and the shipwrecked returned fire with handguns . Whatever the case , Morton and O ' Kane had misidentified the survivors as Japanese . In fact , they were mainly Indian POWs of 2nd Battalion , 16th Punjab Regiment , plus escorting forces from the 26th Field Ordnance Depot . Of 1 , 126 men aboard " Buyo Maru " , just 195 Indians and 87 Japanese died in all , including those killed in the initial sinking . The low number suggests O ' Kane ' s defense , that Morton fired only on the boats , may be correct . It proved a rare occurrence , in any event . Unlike German submariner Heinz - Wilhelm Eck , who was executed as a war criminal for ordering the killing of civilian shipwreck survivors , Morton did not face any criminal liability for his alleged actions . O ' Kane believed this event prevented Morton from being awarded the Medal of Honor . After three arduous war patrols , Morton was given the highly dangerous assignment of penetrating the Sea of Japan . Commander Morton was reported missing in action in December , when his submarine was presumed lost . After the war , it was determined from Japanese records that , on October 11 , in the time frame in which the " Wahoo " was expected to exit through La Perouse Strait , an antisubmarine aircraft found a surfaced submarine and attacked , dropping three depth charge s . Declared deceased on January 7 , 1946 , Morton had been awarded the Navy Cross , three gold stars in lieu of a second , third , and fourth Navy Cross , and the Army Distinguished Service Cross . In popular culture . In 1960 Vice Admiral Charles A . Lockwood , Jr . , ComSubPac during the war , was asked to write the foreword for former " Wahoo " crewmember Forest Sterling ' s book , " Wake of the Wahoo " . He wrote about Morton , " 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 . " Namesake . The destroyer was named in his honor . Notes . Forest J . Sterling " Wake Of The Wahoo " http : / / www . submarinebooks . com / Wahoo . htm