USS Lester (DE-1022)

USS Lester (DE-1022)

USS Lester (DE-1022) was a Dealey-class destroyer escort, named after Fred Faulkner Lester, a Navy Medical Corpsman serving with the U.S. Marines during the battle of Okinawa, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry in rescuing a wounded Marine under fire.

Lester was laid down at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan, on 2 September 1954; launched on 5 January 1956, sponsored by Mrs. Fred W. Lester, mother of Hospital Apprentice First Class Fred F. Lester. She was commissioned on 14 June 1957, with Lieutenant Commander Allan P. Slaff in command.