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Originally Posted by Steeltrap
One thing I've wondered is how people like Dick O'Kane were regarded by the rest of the service, both those who served in WWII and those who came after (such as yourself).
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Well, we made it back from Orlando after saying hello to the Mouse. We had a lot of fun but the place was packed. Big advice: go to Disney on an off season!
Anyway, if there was a pantheon of gods in the U.S. Submarine Service, then Richard Hetherington O'Kane would be right there on Mt. Olympus. His skills as a submariner are beyond question, he was a tremendous leader and motivator of men, he was supremely intelligent, and his moral character and personal courage are an inspiration to all.
One of the truly remarkable things about O'Kane is that in the early days he was brash, impulsive, almost reckless, and tended to speak his mind openly, sometimes when inappropriate. These types of traits were not good ones for a naval officer, and when leading a submarine into battle they can get you killed.
Under normal circumstances, if he had survived the war O'Kane may have been destined to be a footnote in history. Fortunately for him and the submarine force, he came under the tutelage of the Zeus of submarine gods, Dudley Walker Morton.
Here is a man whose contributions to the Submarine Service are incalculable. Not only was he possessed of an indomitable fighting spirit and the skills of a true natural born leader, he was a submariner to the core and was determined to carry the hurt to the enemy. "Mush" Morton took command of the USS Wahoo (SS-238) at perhaps one of the lowest points in the war for the sub force and provided a much needed shot in the arm and the perfect example of what a fighting submarine was capable of.
As his Executive Officer (XO) O'Kane came under Morton's wing. Mush guided and taught him and O'Kane sucked it up like a sponge. Morton took a talented but not yet fully formed officer and in a few short months transformed him into one of the greatest submarine sailors of all time. O'Kane went on to achieve great things and never forgot what ol' Mush had taught him.
What is even more remarkable is that Morton spawned another great officer, George William Grider. After serving as Morton's Engineering Officer on the Wahoo, Grider went on to command the USS Flasher (SS-249) and earned a reputation as an ace ship killer.
Morton, O'Kane, and Grider were just a few of the many men who made such a difference. There is a natural tendency to give the credit to the skippers, but none of those men would have achieved what they did without superb enlisted sailors. The Torpedomen, Gunner's Mates, Motor Macs and others are what made the sub run. They fixed the gear when it broke, plugged the holes made by depth charges, and carefully maintained the torpedoes. Without them the war could not have been won. O'Kane accepted his Medal of Honor on behalf of those men whom he had unwavering respect and admiration for.