Photos and the story

Walton

Class	John C. Butler class
Type	Destroyer escort (DE)
Hull	DE-361
Builder	Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
Launched	1944-05-20
Commissioned	1944-09-04
Fate	Afloat. Her commissioned service ended on 20 September 1968. The Navy later expended her as a target.
Armament (class)	Destroyer escort. Two 5-inch guns and one funnel, on a shorter hull.
Command	Wills, Wilbur Summers Jr. Commanding officer from 4 September 1944

Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.

The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.

Walton, hull DE-361, belonged to the John C. Butler class of destroyer escorts. The name honors Merrit Cecil Walton. Consolidated Steel Corporation, at Orange, Texas, laid her down on 21 March 1944 and launched her on 20 May 1944. The Navy commissioned her on 4 September 1944. Her first commanding officer was Lieutenant Commander Wilbur Summers Wills Jr.

Her Pacific duty took her to Manus, the Admiralty Islands, Hollandia, and the Philippines. She was credited with 2 battle stars.

Her commissioned service ended on 20 September 1968. The Navy later expended her as a target.

The pictures on this page are the originals.