Cdr Joe Fairchild

Commander Joseph D. Fairchild served as
the eighth commanding officer of USS
MORTON (DD-948) from August 1970 to
February, 1972. He entered the Navy from
Chicago. Illinois as an apprentice seaman
in July, 1942. After receiving recruit training
at Naval Training Center, Great Lakes he
was assigned to the commissioning crew of
LST 483 and served in the signalman rating
in that ship throughout World War II,
participating in the Aleutian Island,
Southern Pacific and Philippine Island
campaigns.
From 1948 to 1950, Commander Fairchild
served as an instructor in navigation, naval
history arid seamanship at Admiral Farragut
Academy, a Naval Honor School in Pine
Beach, New Jersey. In 1950 he was
ordered to USS MOUNT MCKINLEY
(AGC-7) where he served in the
quartermaster rating as assistant to the
navigator for three years which was
followed by tours of duty on the Staffs of Commander Amphibious Group THREE and
Commander Amphibious Training Command, Pacific
In April of 1955 Commander Fairchild was selected to attend Naval Officer Candidate School at
Newport Rhode Island where he was commissioned as Ensign, USN in September of that year
and was ordered to duty in USS WEDDERBURN (DD-684) where he served as Chief Engineer
until 1958 when he was ordered to duty as an instructor at the Anti-Submarine Warfare School
in San Diego. In 1965 following tours of duty on the Staff of Commander Destroyer Squadron
19, and as Executive Officer in USS CHEVALIER (DD-805) he was ordered to duty on the Staff
of Commander Destroyer Squadron 17 as Chief Staff Officer participating in Seventh Fleet
operations in the Tonkin Gulf off the coast of Vietnam. In 1968, Commander Fairchild was
ordered to duty on the Staff of Commander Cruisers and Destroyers, US Atlantic Fleet in
Newport Rhode Island where he served until April, 1970 when he was selected to the rank of
Commander (0-5) and ordered to report as prospective commanding officer USS MORTON
(DD-948) which was undergoing modernization and overhaul at the Naval Shipyard, Long
Beach, California.
USS MORTON recomissioned in August, 1970 and after undergoing refresher training in San
Diego sailed to her new homeport of Pearl Harbor arriving in November of that year. MORTON
deployed to the US SEVENTH FLEET in the Western Pacific in September, 1971 conducting
search and rescue operations in the Tonkin Gulf and naval gunfire support in II, III and IV
regions of South Vietnam. In February, 1972 MORTON completed her deployment to the
Western Pacific and at the same time Commander Fairchild was relieved as Commanding
Officer of MORTON, having been ordered as executive officer USS OKLAHOMA CITY
(CLG-5) the flagship of the U.S. SEVENTHFLT where he served until September 1973.
Commander Fairchild completed his Naval Service at the Human Resource
Management Center in San Diego in August 1975. Since that time he has been
employed in the Dairy Industry and is currently a consultant with Hollandia Dairy Inc. in
San Marcos, California. He resides in San Diego, California with his wife, Margaret.
Updated February 24, 2001