LEWIS, Peter J.

PETER J. LEWIS

Machinist’s Mate First Class · Plankowner, USS Silversides (SS-236)

Born / Died	Not yet recorded in the file
Service no.	243-27-82
Commissioning rate	MM1c (15 Dec 1941)
Silversides tenure	15 Dec 1941 – 11 Dec 1942
Patrols aboard	3 (11 ships credited, 53,377 t)²
Other vessels	Sculpin

Prewar (c. 1906–1941)

Naturalization papers name Peter Lewis as a child of John Lewis, formerly Jan Janelunas, of Puipai, Lithuania, who emigrated from Hamburg aboard the SS Belgravia on 14 November 1899. The 1940 census finds Peter, 34, in San Diego with his wife Anna (37) in a $25 rental, listed as a machinist’s mate in the Navy. He had earlier served in Sculpin.

On Silversides (Dec 1941 – Dec 1942)

Lewis commissioned aboard *Silversides* on 15 December 1941 as MM1c. On his dates he made her first three war patrols under C.C. Burlingame. He left on 11 December 1942, six days before the fourth patrol sailed.

Patrol	Dates	CO	Credited sunk	Credited damaged
1	30 Apr – 21 Jun 1942	Burlingame	5 (25,627 t)¹	1 (10,100 t)
2	15 Jul – 8 Sep 1942	Burlingame	4 (15,250 t)	2 (5,750 t)
3	2 Oct – 25 Nov 1942	Burlingame	2 (12,500 t)²	0
Total			11 (53,377 t)	3 (15,850 t)

¹ Tonnage as credited in endorsements. Patrol 1 includes a submarine credit that was likely a log or other debris.
² Patrol 3 figures come from the ship’s history, not a patrol report. The total therefore mixes bases.

Later War (1943–1945)

His service after leaving Silversides has not yet been traced.

Postwar (1945–)

The 1950 census finds him and Anna (48) in Connecticut, where he worked as a wire coverer at a wire manufacturing plant. His death is not yet recorded.

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Research Notes

• Missing fields: the frontmatter has no dob or dod, though the note says the naturalization papers match his date of birth. Check the Find a Grave memorial. verify

• 1950 location: the frontmatter says Baltic, CT; the note says New London. verify

• Patrol count: silversides_patrols was blank; three comes from the dates (patrol 3 ended 25 Nov, patrol 4 sailed 17 Dec). verify against the muster.

• Sculpin: one of four Silversides plankowners who came from her: Arthur W. Clark Jr., Michael L. Esposito, Elmer G. Huter. Confirm his service dates there.

• Patrol 3: secondary_source (ship’s history, not located on Fold3).

• OMPF requested 25 Aug 2026.

• Source notes (carried over, verbatim):

  1940 Census Peter John Lewis (34) and Anna Lewis (37). Living in a $25 rental in San Diego. Peter’s occupation is listed as “Mach M” US Navy.
  1950 Census New London, CT. Peter Lewis (44) and Anna (48). Peter was working in a Wire Manufacturing Plant as a “wire coverer.”
  Naturalization papers match Peter’s DoB as the child of John Lewis formerly k/a Jan Janelunas of Puipai, Lithuania. Peter’s father emigrated from Hamburg on the SS Belgravia on 14 Nov 1899.

Sources: 1940 and 1950 census; naturalization papers; Find a Grave; Silversides muster and ROC; Silversides patrol indexes 1–3.