Richard Nealon Worster
Seaman 2nd Class, USS YORKTOWN (CV-5)
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Richard was born the 8th of August, 1924 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the only son of two children born to Nealon and Beatrice Worster. He was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts by the Worcester Children’s Friends Society and attended the Worcester Boys Trade School. He enlisted into the Navy the 2nd of September 1941 with a signed note from his legal guardian as he was only 17 at the time. He received his basic training at Naval Training Station, Newport, Rhode Island.
He reported aboard the USS YORKTOWN (CV-5) on the 9th of November 1942 and was promoted to Seaman 2nd Class the 2nd of January 1942. The YORKTOWN would depart from the west coast in late December following the attacks on Pearl Harbor and made the first strikes against the empire of Japan at New Guinea and was part of the task force that sank multiple Japanese ships at the battle of the Coral Sea from the 4th to the 8th of May, 1942. Having sustained significant damage from a Japanese bomber during the battle, YORKTOWN returned to Pearl Harbor for emergency repairs which were completed in amazingly little time.
The YORKTOWN next headed to sea and participated in the critical Battle of Midway from the 4th to the 7th of June, 1942. On the 4th of June, Richard was killed in action while manning his battle station aboard the carrier and was buried at sea later that day. His name is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. Worster Drive in Marlborough is named in his honor.