Frank Carter Furbush, Jr. the son of Frank and Estelle(Gerst) Furbush, was born in Bangor, Maine September 28, 1918. He died December 28, 2007 in Casle Rock, Colorado. Furbush enlisted in the Navy October 1, 1936, in Portland, Maine, and is shown as S2c on the USS Wyoming, BB-32, in August of 1939. She was a training ship in the 1930's and 1940's. Furbush reported to the USS McKean, APD-5 on September 19, 1941, where he stayed until the ship was sunk November 17, 1943 while bringing Marines to Bougainville. Furbush had been promoted to CY in 1942. The McKean was sunk with a loss of more than 100 Sailors and Marines. This is the same ship that PFC Louis Hilaire, USMC died on. See the story of his death on this website.
CY Furbush is shown as a passanger on the USS President Hayes, APA-20 on November 21, 1943. The Hayes was operating in th Bougainville area at the time. Furbush returned to the US where he became pert of the commissioning crew of the USS Hancock, CV-19, that was commissioned April 15, 1944 in Boston. He stayed on the Hancock until July 26, 1944 when was transferred to the US for new construction. He is shown on the USS Tabora, AKA-45, in mid-1945, that might account for hie European Campaign medal. In 1948, an article in the Portland Press Herald shows him as a part of Portland Coast Guard Flotilla 201. He and 26 others were activated from the Naval Researve to active duty in 1950. No other information has been found.
CY Furbush's medal group includes his bar mounted medals that consist of named and dated (1940) Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal with Fleet Bar, American Campaign Medal, and Asiatic/Pacific Campaign Medal. Other individual medals are 2 WW2 Victory Medals, European Campaign Medal, National Defense Medal, and Armed Forces Resere Medal.
