Hunter Marshall III

Hunter Marshall III was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 6, 1917. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve on July 12, 1941. Called to active duty in September 1941, Marshall was appointed midshipman and attended Midshipman's School at New York City. He later attended Naval Armed Guard School and in April 1942 reported to United States Army Transport USAT Merrimack and took command of her Naval Armed Guard detachment.

Carrying military supplies to the Panama Canal Zone, Merrimack was torpedoed by the German submarine U-68 in the Caribbean south of the Yucatán Channel on June 9, 1942. Despite the danger of further attacks, Ensign Marshall led his Armed Guard gun crews in furious resistance to the submarine until the forward part of the sinking Merrimack was actually awash. Marshall was one of the last to leave the ship and was lost. He was listed as presumed dead on June 10, 1943.

Because of his loyal and determined fighting spirit, Marshall was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his gallantry.

The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Hunter Marshall (DE-602) was named for Ensign Marshall. She was converted during construction into the high-speed transport USS Hunter Marshall, and was in commission as such from 1945 to 1946.

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.