This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Shaun Thomas (Underdog), OSC
to remember
Lewis Jr., Lemuel Banks (Stepdad), GM1 USN(Ret).
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Contact Info
Home Town Savannah
Last Address Savannah
Date of Passing Aug 15, 1971
Location of Interment Bonaventure Cemetery - Savannah, Georgia
Lem married my Mother in January 1946, they were divorced in 1968. He died due to a massive heart attack in August 1971. I was deployed to the med at the time and was considered to valuable by CO to be given emergency leave since Lem was my step-father instead of my natural father. I was Leading Signalman on the Canisteo (AO-99) at the time.
Lem never discussed, in detail, his war time expierences, there for most of the information i have is based mostly on conjecture except for the two battles that I have listed. I have never known what wartime commands he was actually stationed on, however he did mention that he had had two ships sunk out from under him with in a month. I do know that one of those ships was an APA.
All of the commands that he was assigned to, after the war are from my memory and the actual commands are factual, though the actual time frames are, in sum cases, conjecture based on what school year I was in at the time and what school I was attending.
NEC GM-0873-5in/54 Mk 42 Mods 7&8 Gun Mount Maintenance Technician
Base, Station or City Norfolk
State/Country Virginia
Patch
USS Forrestal (CVA-59) Details
USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59) (later CV-59 and AVT-59)
CLASS - FORRESTAL
Displacement 56,000 Tons, Dimensions, 1039' (oa) x 129' 1" x 37' (Max)
Armament 8 x 5"/54, 100 Aircraft.
Armor, Unknown.
Machinery, 260,000 SHP; Geared Turbines, 4 screws
Speed, 33 Knots, Crew 3800 - 4280.
Named after
CVA-59 was named after James Vincent Forrestal (1892-1949). He became the first Under Secretary of the Navy in August 1940, charged with building the world's largest Fleet. His brilliant work in procurement and production led to his appointment as the 48th Secretary of the Navy in May 1944. Forrestal carried out this new assignment with such distinction that he was the natural choice as the first Secretary of Defense, a position to which he was appointed in September 1947, and in which he continued outstanding service to the Nation, until he resigned in March 1949. He had served in the US Navy as a naval aviator during World War I.
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