USS HOUSTON CA 30
“The galloping Ghost of the
Robert B. Fulton
Born in
In 1936 he married Frances McCarley of Charleston, SC. They had two children, Larry and Frances Anne.
In 1938 he began a graduate course in naval engineering and in 1941 received an MS degree in that field from MIT
He was then ordered to the Asiatic Fleet to report to USS Houston. He served on that ship through the early months of WWII. When Houston was sunk in the early hours of 1 March 1942 he managed to swim ashore to the island of Java. That afternoon he was captured by a Japanese army unit. Hr was forced to work on their landing beaches unloading supplies; and then was marched to the town of Serang to be imprisoned first in a movie theater and then in the local jail.
In April, 1942 He became part of a group of 8 interrogation
camp there. Then in September he was moved to the POW camp in the town of Zentsuji. From there, in June 1945, he was moved to a
remote camp site, termed Rokuroshi ,in the mountains of
In 1957 he joined the staff of the Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Fleet as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics.
Then
in 1959 he assumed command of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where he directed
the work of that industrial facility in the building and repair of naval ships.
While stationed here he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral.
His next and final tour of duty was in the Naval Ships
Systems Command in Washington, DC where he directed all ship engineering
activities (except nuclear) throughout the Navy. He was awarded the
Distinguished Ser
After retiring from active duty in 1968 he came to Memphis
TN to participate in the startup of the State Technical Institute, an
institution offering 2 year college level programs. He headed a division
offering degrees in seven engineering disciplines. These engineering technology
programs all received professional accreditation and have attracted widespread
interest from corporate employers. After retiring from that position he has
remained active in community affairs in Memphis. He is an elder in the
Presbyterian Church and serves on the Boards of charitable and ci