Morton C. Mumma
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rear Admiral Morton Claire Mumma, Jr. (24 August 1904 – 14 August 1968) was a senior officer in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. He was awarded the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...
for actions on 13 December 1941 while commanding during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He later served as naval aide to Secretary
James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet (government), cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal came from a very strict middle-cla ...
in 1944–45, and retired in 1946. Mumma was president of the
National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
from 1955 to 1957, and at his death was on the association's executive council.


Early life

Morton C. Mumma, Jr., was born on 24 August 1904 in
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. He was the eldest son of
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Morton C. Mumma,
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
. He attended schools in
Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...
.LIFE (1942), p. 46 Appointed to the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...
in 1921, he graduated in the class of 1925.List of Graduates Colonel Mumma was noted as "expert rifle shot,"Iowa Alumnus (1916), p. 263 and he passed his skills to his son. Mumma, Jr., was captain of the academy rifle team, and coach of the academy rifle team twice, from 1928 to 1929, and from 1938 to 1940. Upon graduation, he joined the Navy service-wide rifle team. Prior to attending submarine school at
Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...
in 1928, Mumma served in
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s. One of his first commands was the submarine from 1935 until 1938. Originally based at Pearl Harbor, the submarine relocated to Coco Solo, in the Panama Canal Zone, in 1936.


World War II

He was awarded the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...
for actions on 13 December 1941 during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, while serving aboard , after making contact with two Japanese destroyers, and bravely began a submerged attack; the destroyers detected her, dropping a couple of
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
s, while ''Sailfish'' fired two torpedoes. Despite a large explosion nearby, no damage was done, and the destroyers counterattacked with 18–20 depth charges. The depth charging led Mumma to suffer a breakdown and he was relieved.


Navy Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...
to Lieutenant Commander Morton Claire Mumma, Jr., United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. ''SAILFISH'' (SS-192), on the FIRST War Patrol of that submarine in enemy controlled waters of off Luzon, Philippine Islands. On the night of 13 December 1941, the ship made contact with a convoy escorted by three Japanese destroyers. Lieutenant Commander Mumma boldly maneuvered his submarine into striking position despite enemy depth charge counter measures and directed operations and fire to score a torpedo hit on an enemy destroyer. Through his experience and sound judgment Lieutenant Commander Mumma brought his ship safely back to port. His conduct throughout was an inspiration to his officers and men and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.


Patrol boat service

Following duty with the Southwest Pacific submarine staff, and then as naval liaison to
Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organ ...
, on 5 February 1943 Mumma became Commander, Task Group 50.1, the
PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...
s in the Southwest Pacific. On 15 March, with the creation the
US Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
, Task Group 50.1 became Task Group 70.1, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Seventh Fleet. Mumma "was responsible directly to, and only to, the Commander Seventh Fleet. Furthermore, from the start he had full operational control of his boats, and specific areas were assigned for PT operations. As a task group commander he received complete information as to the movements of other naval vessels." Mumma's headquarters were at
Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range (Papu ...
,
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
. In early March 1943, Mumma's PT boats, leaving from
Tufi Tufi is a town located on the south eastern peninsula of Cape Nelson, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. Tufi is located on one of many rias, or drowned river valleys, locally referred to as 'fjords', on Cape Nelson surrounded by many uncharted ree ...
, Papua New Guinea, took part in the
Battle of the Bismarck Sea The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2–4 March 1943) took place in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II when aircraft of the U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked a Japanese convoy carrying tro ...
. Late 3 March, Mumma's boats sank the '' Oigawa Maru'' (6,493 tons). In April, Mumma moved his advance base from Tufi to
Morobe, Papua New Guinea Morobe is a small coastal village located in Morobe Bay, in the south of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. History An administrative post for the protectorate of German New Guinea, it was occupied by Australian troops of the Australian Naval and M ...
.
Nassau Bay Nassau Bay is a city in Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States, bordering the outermost southeastern edge of the city of Houston. It is located in the Clear Lake (region), Clear Lake Area near Galveston Bay, directly adjacent to ...
, southeast of
Salamaua Salamaua () was a small town situated on the northeastern coastline of Papua New Guinea, in Salamaua Rural LLG, Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland. The c ...
, was captured at Mumma's suggestion that a supply base there would shorten the supply line to the 3rd Australian Division. Mumma's PT boats were used for the first time as troop carriers, carrying 70 soldiers in addition to the crew. Mumma's PT boats continued their raiding actions in support of the
New Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Territory of New Guinea on 23 January and Territory of Papua on ...
. In December 1943, Mumma received this letter from Australian General Frank H. Berryman:
H.Q. 2 AUST CORPS, 1 Dec. 43.
:Commander M. C. MUMMA USN,
''Comd MTB Squadrons, Seventh Fleet, US NAVY''
—''F. H. BERRYMAN,''
''Maj-Gen, Comd 2 Aust Corps.''
On 8 February 1944, Mumma was relieved as Commander Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons Seventh Fleet and Commander Task Group 70.1 For his service, Commander Mumma was awarded a
Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...
with a gold star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit.


Later life

During 1944 and 1945, Mumma was the naval aide to the US Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal. Mumma's picture (top) shows him wearing the 4-loop blue and gold
aiguillette An aiguillette (, from '' aiguille'', "needle"), also spelled , or , is a cord with metal tips or lace tags, or the decorative tip itself. Functional or purely decorative fasteners of silk cord with metal tips were popular in the 16th and e ...
as the aide to the last cabinet-level Secretary of the Navy. Mumma's time as aide was the last year of World War II; Forrestal was concerned with
war termination War termination is a sub-field of war studies which focuses on the study on "how wars end", including theories of how wars can and should be ended. In comparison to other aspects of war, war termination has received relatively less study. Accord ...
and Navy
demobilization Demobilization or demobilisation (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or becaus ...
. Leaving duty as Forrestal's aide, Mumma assumed responsibilities as the Planning Control Director of the
Bureau of Naval Personnel The Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) in the United States Department of the Navy is similar to the human resources department of a corporation. The bureau provides administrative leadership and policy planning for the Office of the Chief of N ...
. He retired from active duty in 1946, only to be recalled for the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. His last military assignment was as the Chief Planning Officer for the
Selective Service System The Selective Service System (SSS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government that maintains a database of registered male U.S. Citizenship of the United States, citizens and o ...
from 1951 to 1953. From 1955 to 1957, Admiral Mumma was president of the National Rifle Association, and until his death was a member of the association's executive council. Continuing his interest in rifle marksmanship, Mumma was a long-time member of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice. Like his father had (in 1904), Mumma earned NBPRP ''Distinguished Marksman'' in 1927. Rear Admiral Mumma died of cancer in 1968 at his home (3667 East Baker Street) in Tucson, Arizona.


Legacy

Mort Bay Mort Bay is a bay located in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. It was named after Commander Morton C. Mumma of the United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the ...
, 15 miles north of
Morobe, Papua New Guinea Morobe is a small coastal village located in Morobe Bay, in the south of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. History An administrative post for the protectorate of German New Guinea, it was occupied by Australian troops of the Australian Naval and M ...
, was named by Australian hydrographers in Commander Mumma's honor.Bulkley (1962)
Footnote 13
/ref> Mort Bay was the point of departure for the
landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or " spl ...
at Nassau Bay, 29 June 1943. ''The Mumma Trophy'' is presented to the national champion rifle marksman by the National Rifle Association. The trophy, a large silver urn on a wooden pedestal, is inscribed:


Awards

* Submarine Combat Patrol insignia * Submarine Qualification Insignia *
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...
*
Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...
with gold star * World War I Victory Medal *
American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a United States service medals of the World Wars, military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recogniz ...
with "FLEET" clasp *
American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...
*
Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal The Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal was a United States military award of the Second World War, which was awarded to any member of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. The medal was create ...
*
World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...
*
National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...
* Navy Expert Rifleman Medal * Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mumma, Morton C. Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) 1904 births 1968 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of World War II Honorary officers of the Order of the British Empire Presidents of the National Rifle Association Recipients of the Legion of Merit