Francis Wadsworth
Old Lyme — Capt. Francis “Frank” Laughlin Wadsworth, 90, a resident of Old Lyme and Block Island, R.I., passed peacefully in New London on Aug. 13, 2020.
A proud U.S. Navy submariner and a veteran of the Cold War, he was one of the early officers of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine program. He served as an officer on numerous submarines, including the first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus. He was the commander of both the USS Triton and the USS Theodore Roosevelt. He was also the commander of the U.S. Navy’s deep submersible program prior to his retirement. Capt. Wadsworth was a recipient of the Legion of Merit along with numerous other U.S. Navy commendations.
Frank was born in Hartford on April 7, 1930, to Robert and Frances Wadsworth. He attended Kingswood School, graduating in 1947. After enlisting in the Naval Reserve at age 17, he was later selected for the NROTC program and completed one year at the University of Virginia before transferring to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in the Class of 1952.
Capt. Wadsworth’s Naval career spanned 30 years, including 19 years of duty at sea, 17 of those as a submariner, and six years leading strategic defense programs for the Navy in Washington, D.C.
As part of his submarine career, Capt. Wadsworth participated in three historic under-ice expeditions in the Arctic. He was an officer on the USS Nautilus as part of the first under-ice exploration of the Arctic Ocean by a nuclear submarine in which Nautilus, in 1957, penetrated and charted a total of 1,343 nautical miles under the ice and reached latitude 87 degrees North, a record 180 nautical miles from the North Pole. This mission, with its risks and lessons, paved the way and made possible the subsequent historic Pacific and Atlantic transpolar voyage of Nautilus in 1958.
As commander of USS Triton, Capt. Wadsworth continued his undersea explorations and led numerous Cold War missions. He received the Legion of Merit for a particularly successful operation.
Capt. Wadsworth went on to a career in the nuclear power industry as a consultant helping to improve the operations and safety of commercially operated U.S. nuclear power plants.
Capt. Wadsworth was a loyal Naval officer, a courageous leader and a servant to our country. He was also a dedicated and loving husband and father. He married June Heard in Hartford in 1958, and they raised three sons. In his spare time, Frank was an avid outdoorsman, and he loved skiing, sailing and fishing, as well as spending time with his wife and family at their home on Cormorant Point on Block Island. Frank was also an active member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.
He is survived by his wife, June; his sons, Rob, Steve and Jay; their wives, Terry, Lora and Laura; his eight grandchildren; his two great-grandchildren; his niece Katherine St. Onge; and his nephew Patrick St. Lawrence. He was predeceased by his sister Betty St. Lawrence.
Frank will be honored and celebrated in a service and burial at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined. Please visit www. fultontherouxoldlyme.com for photos, tributes and guest book.