ANDREW MAURER SMILEY
Torpedoman’s Mate First Class · Plankowner, USS Silversides (SS-236) · Retired Commander
| Born / Died | 10 Nov 1915, Rome, NY / 31 Jan 1999, Kitsap County, WA |
| Service no. | 238-46-68 |
| Commissioning rate | TM1c (15 Dec 1941) |
| Silversides tenure | 15 Dec 1941 – 26 Sep 1943 |
| Patrols aboard | 6 (13 ships credited, 73,387 t)² |
| Rate on leaving Silversides | Ensign |
| Final rate | Commander |
| Service | BIRLS: 20 Apr 1933 – 16 Apr 1947 (enlisted portion); retired Jan 1956 |
Prewar (1915–1941)
Andrew Smiley was born in Rome, New York, on 10 November 1915. In 1930 the family owned a $2,000 home with a radio in Lysander, New York. His father Andrew W. (40) was a general laborer, and his mother Rachel (38) was born Rachel Maurer, which gives him his middle name. Andrew (14) had siblings Kathryn (10), Raymond (8), Florence (6), James (3) and John (8 months). Raymond also served in the Navy in World War II. Andrew enlisted on 20 April 1933, aged seventeen. The 1940 census finds him at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, as A. Maurer Smiley, 24, a Torpedoman Second Class.
On Silversides (Dec 1941 – Sep 1943)
Smiley commissioned aboard *Silversides* on 15 December 1941 as TM1c and made her first six war patrols, the first five under C.C. Burlingame and the sixth under J.S. Coye Jr. He was a chief, recorded as CTMM(P), when he accepted a commission as Ensign on 26 September 1943, on an authorization dated 15 August, after the sixth patrol that credited nothing. He disappears from the enlisted rolls that day.
| 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 |
| 4 | 17 Dec 1942 – 31 Jan 1943 | Burlingame | 1 (10,010 t) | 3 (14,360 t) |
| 5 | 17 May – 1 Jul 1943 | Burlingame | 1 (10,000 t) | 0 |
| 6 | 21 Jul – 12 Sep 1943 | Coye | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 13 (73,387 t) | 6 (30,210 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)
He was promoted Lieutenant (junior grade) on 1 December 1944. The 1945 Navy register shows (E) and (G-1) after his name.
Postwar (1945–1999)
BIRLS gives his discharge as 16 April 1947, which ends the enlisted portion of his record. The Navy registers show him as a Lieutenant by 1 January 1949, and he reached Commander in January 1956 and retired that month. He died on 31 January 1999 in Kitsap County, Washington.
Research Notes
-
Register entries: the notes record the 1950 register listing his rate as CTORP on the Lieutenants line (rank attained 1 Jan 1949) and a “CWO4 on the Lt Cmdr register in 1955.” The second does not fit a line-officer career.
verify -
Rate: “CTMM(P)” is as recorded; it is probably CTM(P).
-
Commission date: accepted 26 Sep 1943 after authorization on 15 Aug 1943.
-
Special courses: the register carries entries 7 and 30 under “special courses and qualifications.”
-
Open: OMPF, retirement details.
-
Source notes (carried over, verbatim):
1930 Census* Lysander Township, NY. Andrew W Smiley (40) and Rachel J (38). Andrew M (14), Kathryn C (10), Raymond H (8), Florence R (6), James H (3), John F (8 mo). All living in an owned 2000 owned home with a radio. Son of a general laborer. Raymond served in WWII in the Navy. Headstone reads FN. Mother’s maiden name is Rachel Maurer, which gives us his middle name. (E) and (G-1) after his name in 1945 navy military register. Lt(Jg) 1DEC44. 1950 his rate is CTORP listed on the Lieutenants Line register rank attained 1JAN49. CWO4 on the Lt CMDR register in 1955. * CDR in January 56. Accepted commission as Ensign 26 Sep 43 and disappears from the enlisted rolls on that date. Was CTMM(P) on Silversides at the time and the promotion came after her luckless 6th patrol.
Sources: 1930 and 1940 census; BIRLS; Navy registers; Silversides muster and ROC; Silversides patrol indexes 1–6.