Background
Walter Stanley Gorka was born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on 24 March 1922.
Walter Stanley Gorka was born in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on 24 March 1922.
During Operation Torch, the Allied amphibious landings in North Africa, Gorka was a bombardier and gunner on a Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber of Escort Scouting Squadron 27 (VGS-27) embarked on auxiliary aircraft carrier (later escort aircraft carrier) United States Ship Suwannee (ACV-27, later CVE-27). On the first day of the landings – 8 November 1942 – Suwannee"s air group, including Gorka"s aircraft, bombed Vichy French ships and shore installations in the Casablanca area of French Morocco, including the immobile but formidable battleship Jean Baronet and the coast defense and shore batteries at Table d"Aukasha. On 10 November 1942, Gorka went on an attack mission against a French submarine.
The French antiaircraft fire proved deadly accurate.
Gorka"s aircraft was shot down, and Gorka was killed. The United States. Navy destroyer escort United States Ship Gorka (Delaware-604) was named for Gorka.
She was converted during construction into the high-speed transport United States Ship Gorka (APD-114), and was in commission as such from 1945 to 1947.