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Combs, Lewis B. (Lewis Barton), Admiral, 1885-1996

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1895-1996
  • Existence: 1895 - 1996

Biographical Note

Lewis B. Combs was born in 1885. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1916. Soon after graduation, he joined the United States Navy, serving as a naval engineer for the next thirty years. From 1938 to 1946 Admiral Combs served as the Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks. He is most well known for his leadership in developing the Naval Construction Battalions (a.k.a. the "Seabees") during World War II. After his retirement from the Navy in 1947, Combs became head of RPI's Department of Civil Engineering, retiring from that position in 1961. Admiral Combs died in Red Hook, New York, in 1996.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Admiral Lewis B. Combs papers

 Collection
Identifier: 2008-2
Abstract

Admiral B. Combs's papers provide a glimpse into the RPI graduate's professional career as a civil engineer with a focus on deisel pile drivers and articles about fellow RPI alumni involved in WWII.

Dates: Created: 1944-1976