RADM Lee, a native of Wilmington, Del., began his naval career
after graduating in 1930 from the U.S. Naval Academy. Before volunteering for
submarine duty in 1934, he served as a junior officer on two battleships, then
two San Diego-based destroyers.
In August 1944, he commanded the Croaker on its first war patrol to the East
China and Yellow seas. The Croaker sank the Japanese light cruiser Nagara and
two freighters. The series of successful attacks resulted in a Navy Unit
Commendation. By the end of the war, he had received three Navy Crosses, a
Silver Star and a Bronze Star, the defining decorations of a naval career that
saw him rise to rear admiral.
After the war, RADM Lee completed work for a master's degree in personnel
administration at Stanford University. During the Korean War, he was assigned to
the Pentagon, serving as an aide to the secretary of the Navy. Three years
before retiring from the Navy, RADM Lee helped usher in the nuclear age of
submarines by taking part in the building and commissioning of the
atomic-powered Nautilus in Groton, Conn. For RADM Lee, it marked the
evolution of a submarine career from the so-called "sweatboxes" of the 1930s to
the latest in defense technology, complete with the comforts of home.
Adm. Lee finished his naval career as commander in San Diego of Submarine
Flotilla 1, which consisted at the time of 30 diesel-powered submarines, two
submarine tenders and two rescue vessels. Active in his community, he served in
1970 and 1971 as president of the Rancho Santa Fe Association and was a
three-year member of its board of directors. He furthered his military
connections with memberships in the Naval Submarine League and the Submarine
Veterans of World War II.
A memorial service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday, January 11, 2002 at Fort
Rosecrans National Cemetery. A private inurnment will follow.
Edited from the San Diego Union-Tribune obituary by Jack Williams, staff
writer, January 9, 2002