Lester Monroe "Les" Cash was the son of Thomas "Tom" Cash and Ethel Biggs. He attended Desha County, Arkansas, public schools and then worked as a farmer.
Les enlisted in the United States Navy in August, 1927 and served for 15 years. In March of 1942 Les was assigned to the USS ATIK (AK 101), a "Q-Ship" that had only recently been converted from a merchant ship to a U.S. Navy vessel. It originally was a steam powered ship whose keel was laid in 1912 and was named the Carolyn. It was commissioned as the ATIK on March 5, 1942. Twenty-two days later, on March 27th, during its shakedown cruise off the Virginia coast, it was sunk by torpedoes from a German Kreigsmarine submarine, called a "U-Boot". The sub was the U-123, commanded by Reinhard Hardegen. Hardegen was a prolific submarine commander who sunk approximately 21 ships during the war and earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leafs (basically equivalent to two United States Medals of Honor - he survived the war). In an interview in 2010, the then 97 year old Hardegen told the story that he spotted a small freighter (the ATIK)and put a torpedo in her but she did not sink. Since she was a small ship, Hardegen ordered his sub to surface and told his gun crew to use the deck gun to sink the ship. The ATIK, damaged but not out of the fight, had in the mean time picked up speed and had gone on the attack. The ship and the submarine exchanged fire and the sub was hit (wounding one German midshipman who later died) but the sub was not significantly damaged. Hardegen ordered the decks cleared and submerged the sub. Once under water, he fired a second torpedo into the USS ATIK and sent her to the bottom of the ocean. Interested researchers can listen to his interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD79i1G-kuI (as of this date, May 3, 2013).
Les's body was not recovered and is probably still on his ship. He and the others missing crewmen were declared dead
on April 4, 1944.
Shipfitter First Class Lester M. Cash, Sn #3463966, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart Medal
- Navy Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
Les enlisted in the United States Navy in August, 1927 and served for 15 years. In March of 1942 Les was assigned to the USS ATIK (AK 101), a "Q-Ship" that had only recently been converted from a merchant ship to a U.S. Navy vessel. It originally was a steam powered ship whose keel was laid in 1912 and was named the Carolyn. It was commissioned as the ATIK on March 5, 1942. Twenty-two days later, on March 27th, during its shakedown cruise off the Virginia coast, it was sunk by torpedoes from a German Kreigsmarine submarine, called a "U-Boot". The sub was the U-123, commanded by Reinhard Hardegen. Hardegen was a prolific submarine commander who sunk approximately 21 ships during the war and earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leafs (basically equivalent to two United States Medals of Honor - he survived the war). In an interview in 2010, the then 97 year old Hardegen told the story that he spotted a small freighter (the ATIK)and put a torpedo in her but she did not sink. Since she was a small ship, Hardegen ordered his sub to surface and told his gun crew to use the deck gun to sink the ship. The ATIK, damaged but not out of the fight, had in the mean time picked up speed and had gone on the attack. The ship and the submarine exchanged fire and the sub was hit (wounding one German midshipman who later died) but the sub was not significantly damaged. Hardegen ordered the decks cleared and submerged the sub. Once under water, he fired a second torpedo into the USS ATIK and sent her to the bottom of the ocean. Interested researchers can listen to his interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD79i1G-kuI (as of this date, May 3, 2013).
Les's body was not recovered and is probably still on his ship. He and the others missing crewmen were declared dead
on April 4, 1944.
Shipfitter First Class Lester M. Cash, Sn #3463966, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart Medal
- Navy Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
Lester Monroe "Les" Cash was the son of Thomas "Tom" Cash and Ethel Biggs. He attended Desha County, Arkansas, public schools and then worked as a farmer.
Les enlisted in the United States Navy in August, 1927 and served for 15 years. In March of 1942 Les was assigned to the USS ATIK (AK 101), a "Q-Ship" that had only recently been converted from a merchant ship to a U.S. Navy vessel. It originally was a steam powered ship whose keel was laid in 1912 and was named the Carolyn. It was commissioned as the ATIK on March 5, 1942. Twenty-two days later, on March 27th, during its shakedown cruise off the Virginia coast, it was sunk by torpedoes from a German Kreigsmarine submarine, called a "U-Boot". The sub was the U-123, commanded by Reinhard Hardegen. Hardegen was a prolific submarine commander who sunk approximately 21 ships during the war and earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leafs (basically equivalent to two United States Medals of Honor - he survived the war). In an interview in 2010, the then 97 year old Hardegen told the story that he spotted a small freighter (the ATIK)and put a torpedo in her but she did not sink. Since she was a small ship, Hardegen ordered his sub to surface and told his gun crew to use the deck gun to sink the ship. The ATIK, damaged but not out of the fight, had in the mean time picked up speed and had gone on the attack. The ship and the submarine exchanged fire and the sub was hit (wounding one German midshipman who later died) but the sub was not significantly damaged. Hardegen ordered the decks cleared and submerged the sub. Once under water, he fired a second torpedo into the USS ATIK and sent her to the bottom of the ocean. Interested researchers can listen to his interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD79i1G-kuI (as of this date, May 3, 2013).
Les's body was not recovered and is probably still on his ship. He and the others missing crewmen were declared dead
on April 4, 1944.
Shipfitter First Class Lester M. Cash, Sn #3463966, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart Medal
- Navy Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
Les enlisted in the United States Navy in August, 1927 and served for 15 years. In March of 1942 Les was assigned to the USS ATIK (AK 101), a "Q-Ship" that had only recently been converted from a merchant ship to a U.S. Navy vessel. It originally was a steam powered ship whose keel was laid in 1912 and was named the Carolyn. It was commissioned as the ATIK on March 5, 1942. Twenty-two days later, on March 27th, during its shakedown cruise off the Virginia coast, it was sunk by torpedoes from a German Kreigsmarine submarine, called a "U-Boot". The sub was the U-123, commanded by Reinhard Hardegen. Hardegen was a prolific submarine commander who sunk approximately 21 ships during the war and earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leafs (basically equivalent to two United States Medals of Honor - he survived the war). In an interview in 2010, the then 97 year old Hardegen told the story that he spotted a small freighter (the ATIK)and put a torpedo in her but she did not sink. Since she was a small ship, Hardegen ordered his sub to surface and told his gun crew to use the deck gun to sink the ship. The ATIK, damaged but not out of the fight, had in the mean time picked up speed and had gone on the attack. The ship and the submarine exchanged fire and the sub was hit (wounding one German midshipman who later died) but the sub was not significantly damaged. Hardegen ordered the decks cleared and submerged the sub. Once under water, he fired a second torpedo into the USS ATIK and sent her to the bottom of the ocean. Interested researchers can listen to his interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD79i1G-kuI (as of this date, May 3, 2013).
Les's body was not recovered and is probably still on his ship. He and the others missing crewmen were declared dead
on April 4, 1944.
Shipfitter First Class Lester M. Cash, Sn #3463966, earned the following badges/decorations for his service during World War II:
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart Medal
- Navy Good Conduct Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal with bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
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Records on Ancestry
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U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949
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1940 United States Federal Census
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U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas
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U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
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1920 United States Federal Census
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