Robert William Gaynor (1939 - 1963)

Born 25 Aug 1939 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Died 10 Apr 1963 at age 23 in At Sea

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Biography

• Crewman (Engineman Second Class) aboard the USS Thresher, a submarine that sank during deep-diving tests off the coast of Massachusetts.
  • Thresher was the first nuclear submarine lost at sea and only one of four lost with more than 100 people aboard.^[1]
  • Several memorials have been dedicated to honor the lost aboard the Thresher and several with specific crewmen honored - including a memorial at Arlington to the whole crew dedicated in Sept 2019.

• 25 June 1957 Enlisted in the Navy
  • Served aboard the USS Piper (SS 409), Seadragon (SSN 584)
• 27 Feb 1961 Assigned to the USS Thresher
• Awards: Good Conduct Medal, Letter of commendation, Commanding officer of USS Sea Dragon; Letter of commendation, Commanding officer of USS Thresher (SSN 593)

• s/o Mrs. Dorothy L. Gaynor^[2]
  • Paul, Joseph (U.S. Navy), Mrs. Peter Rushing (his twin sister), Mrs. Burt Buetterfield^[2]
• m. Anita E. ??^[2]
  • Carolyn, Mark, Robert^[2]

Images

• Headshot

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: USS Thresher, accessed 3 Oct 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} USS Thresher: Ship Roster, accessed 3 Oct 2020.

• "Lost Nukes of the Cold War." Drain the Oceans. (Season 2 Episode 6). National Geographic. 29 July 2019.
• "In Memoriam." Memorial Service Programme for the loss of the USS Thresher. 1963. Navsource.org. Accessed 3 Oct 2020.
• USS Thresher Naval History & Heritage Command - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS); See: Men Who Perished in the Loss of Thresher (SSN-593) on 10 April 1963