Stuart S. Murray

Admiral Stuart Shadrick [Blair, Clay, Jr. "Silent Victory" (New York: Bantam, 1976), p.1044.] Murray (1898–1980) was born in Santa Barbara, California and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1919. In the 1920s, he was involved in constructing the submarine base at Pearl Harbor.

Nicknamed "Sunshine" and "the Gentle Giant", Murray was a plankowner aboard "Porpoise", placing her in commission 15 August 1935.

As ComSubDiv 15, in October 1941, he was assigned to Manila, [Blair, p.82.] home of the Asiatic Fleet. Along with Joseph Connolly's SubDiv 16, Murray's division made up Submarine Squadron 2 (SubRon2), under ComSubAsia Captain Walter Doyle [Blair, p.82.] (nicknamed "Red") [Blair, p.82.] in "Holland", who answered to Admiral Thomas C. Hart. They comprised the entirety of the brand-new "Salmon" class. [Blair, p.82 & fn.]

When the Japanese attacked the Philippines, Wilkes (who ended up being "special adviser" to Doyle, who had no experience in Asia), his chief of staff, Jimmy Fife, [Blair, p.82.] and Murray warned their skippers to be cautious. [Blair, p.131.] The initial plan, to rely on information from General Lewis Brereton's B-17s, [Blair, p.135.] went to pieces the first day, when General MacArthur failed to preserve them from Japanese attack. Murray was not aided by the abysmal performance of the Mark 14 torpedo, either.

On Christmas Day 1941, Murray moved into quarters in the tunnels of Corregidor [Blair, p.153.] with all of ComSubAs's top staff (him, Fife, Wilkes, and Doyle, everyone who had not fled with "Canopus") and equipment (one typewriter and a radio receiver). [There was not space for much more, even if they had had any. Blair, p.153.] As the defeat became evident, Wilkes ordered all submarine crewmen out; 1 January 1942, Murray boarded Chet Smith's "Swordfish" [Smith was a plankowner, and had scored one of only three confirmed sinkings of the Asiatic Fleet's submarines in this period. Blair, p.15.] ["Swordfish"] with Wilkes and others, to join Hart in Soerabaja. [Blair, p.155.]

After fleeing the Philppines, Hart pulled Murray's boats back to Fremantle [Blair, p.273-4.] (in keeping with Navy Department instructions), [Blair, p.130.] where Murray came under the command of his old boss from SubDiv 13 [Blair, p.282.] Charles Lockwood's Task Force 51, [Blair, p.274.] becoming chief of staff of SubRon 2, under Jimmy Fife (also one of Lockwood's old Division 13 skippers). [Blair, p.282.]

With the death of Robert H. English, Lockwood was named ComSubPac in his stead, [Blair, p.368.] taking Murray as his Chief of Staff (replacing John Griggs), [Blair, p.368.] over the objections of "Chips" Carpender, ComSubSoWestPac. [Blair, p.367.]

Near the end of 1943, Murray was named Commandant of Midshipmen at Annapolis, rather than to a new submarine squadron, [Blair, p.548.] yet another example of a wasted submarine officer. [His place was taken by Merrill Comstock, who had commissioned "Cachalot". Blair, p.549.]

Captain Murray took command of "Missouri" in May of 1945 and was responsible for the preparations [Blair, p.872.] for the signing of the surrender on 2 September 1945.

A large man who was a friend and classmate of the previous commanding officer, Captain William M. Callaghan, Murray was well-liked by his crew.

Admiral Murray was ComSubLant from 1950 until 1952 [Blair, p.892.] and retired a three-star. [Blair, p.881.]

Notes

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* Blair, Clay, Jr. "Silent Victory". New York: Bantam, 1976 (reprints Lippincott 1975 edition). ISBN 0-553-01050-6.