Listed below are the 15 men who commanded MORTON during her 23 year life. All (plus Patricia
Bodamer) are members of the Morton reunion organization.
1. John M. De Largy 26 May 1959 - 23 September 1960
2. William C. Young 23 September 1960 - 5 September 1962
3. Thomas G. Slattery 5 September 1962 - 25 July 1964
4. John C. McGill, Jr. 25 July 1964 - 13 May 1965
5. Robert E. Bodamer 13 May 1965 - 12 October 1966 (Deceased 1992)
(His widow Patricia is a member)
6. Carl J. McCann 12 October 1966 - 8 October 1968
7. Wayne Hughes, Jr. 8 October 1968 - 26 September 1969 (decommissioned)
8. Joseph D. Fairchild 15 August 1970 (recommissioned) - 26 February 1972
9. Raymond J. Harbrecht 26 February 1972 - 29 June 1973
10. John H. Fishburn 29 June 1973 - 11 July 1974
11. Frederick C. Johnson 11 July 1974 - 26 July 1974 (Interim Skipper)
12. Andrew Bleakley, Jr. 26 July 1974 - 1 October 1976
13. Merlin G. Bell 1 October 1976 - 15 December 1978
14. William C. Fox 15 December 1978 - 19 January 1981
15. Corwin A. Bell 19 January 1981 - 22 November 1982 (decommissioned)

                                "A destroyer is a lovely ship, probably the nicest fighting ship of all.
                               Battleships are a little like steel cities or great factories of destruction.
                                                       Airc raft carriers are floating flying fields.
                                                     Even cruisers are big pieces of machinery.
                                                              But a destroyer is all boat.
                                    In the beautiful lines of her, in her speed and roughness,                                                                        
                                in curious gallantry, she is completely a ship, in the old sense."
                       By John Steinbeck, as taken from the web site of USS BERKELEY (DDG15)
                            
                                                                                         COMMAND
                                                                   In each ship there is one man who,
                                                             In the hour of emergency or peril at sea,
                                                                      can turn to no other man.
                                                                There is one who alone is ultimately
                                                                responsible for the safe navigation,
                                                          engineering performance, accurate gunfire
                                                                        and morale of his ship.
                                                                  He is the Commanding Officer......

                                                                              Joseph Conrad
         USS Morton DD 948
Commanding Officers Quarters
Pictures of our skippers then and now
                           Five Morton Skippers. 
October 2001 at the reunion in San Diego.
Left to right: Bill Young (#2), Tom Slattery (#3), Joe Fairchild (#8), Jack McGill (#4), and Al Bell (#15 and final). 
Photo by Al Creasy.
More will be added as we get them. Looking for any pictures of any year. Any stories to share also. Especially from the CO's themselves.
contact Rick
CO's individual page in order of command
John De Largy   Rear Admiral USN Retired
To take command of a US Navy ship has to be among the proudest moments of an officers career and life. Cdr Al Bell shows that pride in a personalized tag. (bottom photo)
(Top Photo) Al  , Bill Sperberg, the former Chief Engineer, and Larry Diaz, our MPA, got together at Bill's home in Oceanside for a mini-reunion on the occasion of Larry Diaz's visit to San Diego from Florida, where he now lives. Sept 2002.
Last breakaway flag ctsy of Morton's last skipper, Al Bell
Capt. Carl McCann on Port bridge wing during 1967 West Pac