LAWRENCE J. MCPEAKE, CDR, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
Lawrence McPeake '24

Date of birth: February 21, 1902

Date of death: March 1, 1942

Age: 40

Lucky Bag

From the 1924 Lucky Bag:

1924 McPeake LB.jpg

LAWRENCE JOHN McPEAKE

Boston, Massachusetts

"Spike"

"WELL, fellows, Boston is the hub of the universe, the center of the world's art and culture, the home of great statesmen, and the cradle of American Democracy". Thereupon, this tall Irishman lapses into a self-satisfied reverie on dear old Boston, much to the relief of his roommates.

Fresh from Boston College, "Mac" entered his naval career with a determination to take advantage of his cultural education and be savvy amongst his less fortunate classmates. To some extent he has been successful.

Just before Youngster aims, "Spivis" decided that a trip to the romantic West Indies had no charms for him. Thereupon, he journeyed to our little hospital and spent the summer enjoying the life of a convalescent. He should be complimented upon his good judgment.

From an athletic standpoint, "Spike" has never convinced the coaches that he is the man to save the day.

Always ready for a good time, "Mac" is a good gloom chaser.

"Say, fellows, have you any skags?"

1924 McPeake LB.jpg

LAWRENCE JOHN McPEAKE

Boston, Massachusetts

"Spike"

"WELL, fellows, Boston is the hub of the universe, the center of the world's art and culture, the home of great statesmen, and the cradle of American Democracy". Thereupon, this tall Irishman lapses into a self-satisfied reverie on dear old Boston, much to the relief of his roommates.

Fresh from Boston College, "Mac" entered his naval career with a determination to take advantage of his cultural education and be savvy amongst his less fortunate classmates. To some extent he has been successful.

Just before Youngster aims, "Spivis" decided that a trip to the romantic West Indies had no charms for him. Thereupon, he journeyed to our little hospital and spent the summer enjoying the life of a convalescent. He should be complimented upon his good judgment.

From an athletic standpoint, "Spike" has never convinced the coaches that he is the man to save the day.

Always ready for a good time, "Mac" is a good gloom chaser.

"Say, fellows, have you any skags?"

Loss

Lawrence was lost on March 1, 1942 when USS Pecos (AO 6) was sunk by Japanese air attack.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Lawrence graduated from Hyde Park High School. He was a freshman at Boston College when he was notified that he had passed his entrance examination for the Naval Academy.

He married Gertrude M. Mahoney in St. Joseph’s Church on October 29, 1929, in South Medford, Massachusetts.

His father John was a physician, mother Helen, sisters Eleanor and Helen, and brothers Richard and Paul.

From Wikipedia:

Executive Officer Lt. Commander Lawrence J. McPeake (Annapolis Class of 1924-Posthumously promoted to Commander after the war) was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for valor for his actions aboard Pecos. After the order to abandon ship was given by the ship's Captain, … Lt. Commander McPeake was seen engaging Japanese warplanes (Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers) which were machine-gunning and strafing survivors in the sea. By some crewmembers' accounts, he was reported to have made it off of the ship after it went down. Others reported him last being seen manning the machine gun. In fact, he did swim away from the vessel as it was going down with one other officer from the crew. However, his body was never recovered and he was eventually listed as Killed In Action after the War. A bridge in Milton, Massachusetts was named in honor of him.

He had earlier been a member of the Harvard faculty.

Lawrence is listed on the Boston College Veterans Memorial; he was a member of the class of 1923 there.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He has a memory marker in Massachusetts.

Silver Star

Unable to find a citation for the Silver Star he was posthumously awarded.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

July 1924
Ensign, USS Utah

September 1924
Ensign, USS Utah

November 1924
Ensign, USS Utah
January 1925
Ensign, USS Utah
March 1925
Ensign, USS Utah
May 1925
Ensign, under instruction, Edgewood Arsenal
July 1925
Ensign, USS Childs
October 1925
Ensign, USS Childs
January 1926
Ensign, under instruction, Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island
October 1926
Ensign, USS Converse

Others at this command:
January 1927
Ensign, USS Converse

Others at this command:
April 1927
Ensign, USS Converse

Others at this command:
October 1927
Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command:
January 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

Others at this command:
April 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah
July 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

Others at this command:
October 1928
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

April 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Cleveland
July 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Cleveland
October 1929
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Cleveland
January 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola
April 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

October 1930
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

Others at this command:
January 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

Others at this command:
April 1931
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Pensacola

Others at this command:
July 1934
Lieutenant, USS Whitney

Others at this command:
October 1934
Lieutenant, USS Whitney

Others at this command:
January 1935
Lieutenant, USS Whitney

Others at this command:
April 1935
Lieutenant, communications officer, USS Whitney

Others at this command:
October 1935
Lieutenant, communications officer, USS Whitney
January 1936
Lieutenant, USS Tillman

Others at this command:
April 1936
Lieutenant, executive officer, USS Leary
July 1936
Lieutenant, executive officer, USS Leary
January 1937
Lieutenant, executive officer, USS Leary
April 1937
Lieutenant, executive officer, USS Leary
September 1937
Lieutenant, ROTC instructor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Others at this command:
January 1938
Lieutenant, ROTC instructor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Others at this command:
July 1938
Lieutenant, ROTC instructor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

January 1939
Lieutenant, ROTC instructor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

October 1939
Lieutenant Commander, USS Pecos
June 1940
Lieutenant Commander, USS Pecos

Others at this command:
November 1940
Lieutenant Commander, USS Pecos

April 1941
Lieutenant Commander, USS Pecos

Memorial Hall Error

Multiple listings—including his headstone—have him as a CDR; Memorial Hall has LCDR. (The Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps of 1945 has LCDR; unable to find the 1946 edition of this document.)


Class of 1924

Lawrence is one of 42 members of the Class of 1924 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

QR code

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.