LAWRENCE J. MCPEAKE, CDR, USN

Lawrence McPeake '24

Date of birth: February 21, 1902

Date of death: March 1, 1942

Age: 40

Lucky Bag

From the 1924 Lucky Bag:

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?"

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.

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.

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

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

Career

He had earlier been a member of the Harvard faculty.

Silver Star

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

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.)

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

Others at this command: ENS Elbert Palmer, Jr. '24 and ENS Richard Baron '24.

September 1924

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command: ENS Elbert Palmer, Jr. '24 and ENS Richard Baron '24.

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: LTjg Henry Schmidt '22.

January 1927

Ensign, USS Converse

Others at this command: LTjg Henry Schmidt '22.

April 1927

Ensign, USS Converse

Others at this command: LTjg Henry Schmidt '22.

October 1927

Ensign, USS Utah

Others at this command: ENS John Reybold '26.

January 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

Others at this command: ENS John Reybold '26.

April 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

July 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

Others at this command: ENS Charles Hill, Jr. '27.

October 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Utah

Others at this command: ENS Charles Hill, Jr. '27 and ENS James Averill '27.

January 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT Edwin Conway '20, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT Francis Bridget '21, LT James Carney '21, LT John Jones '21, LT Stephen Cooke '21, LT James Craig '22, LTjg William Davis '22, LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24, LTjg Creighton Lankford '25, LTjg Hubert Waters '25, LTjg Jack DeShazo '25, ENS Claude Haman '26, ENS Francis Black '26, ENS Henry G'Sell '26, ENS John Graff '26, 2LT Joseph Wolfe '26, 2LT Lofton Henderson '26, ENS William Watson '26, ENS Eugene Lindsey '27, 2LT Guy Chappell '27, ENS Leonard Southerland '27, and 2LT Raymond Rutledge '27.

April 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Cleveland

July 1929

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Cleveland