I found one reference to him dating Rita, but didn't know if it would have been in the time frame from when I was told this photo was from, for it to be possible that he had her pic on the wall.

I'm still trying to dig up info, and verify, to the extent possible all of the conflicting info out there on the net.

Some tidbits from IMBD Bio's:

In her autobiography, Esther Williams details a passionate affair she had with Mature during the filming of Million Dollar Mermaid (1952).

And this one that may identify which ship the photo was taken on:

He was a petty officer in the Coast Guard during World War II. He served on the troop transport ship Admiral Mayo. His service carried him to the North Atlantic, including Normandy, the Mediterranean, Caribbean and many islands in the South Pacific. He was on Okinawa when the A-bomb was dropped on Japan.