Arthur Edwards Obituary, Death – Captain Arthur Lee Edwards, a veteran of the United States Navy’s submarine service who served during the Cold War, passed away on March 8, 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 76 with his devoted wife Judie at his side. Lee Edwards was the eldest of his four siblings. He was born on July 16, 1946 in Hammond, Indiana to parents Arthur and Nina Edwards. After completing his high school education in Chicago and receiving his diploma, Lee enrolled at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in the summer of 1964 and became a member of the class of 1968. Lee excelled academically while he was a student at the Naval Academy. In addition, he participated in the Drum and Bugle Corps and played football at the 150-pound weight class.
Following graduation, he was admitted into the law school at William and Mary, but he decided instead to continue serving in the Navy. After a lengthy day of interviews at Naval Reactors, Admiral Rickover talked Lee into joining the Submarine Force instead of the Marine Corps, even though Lee had always wanted to be a Marine Corps pilot.
After receiving his diploma and graduating from Nuclear Power Training and Submarine School, Lee served on several submarines, such as the USS Sand Lance (SSN 660) and the USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN 641). After that, he spent nearly a decade in command of three different nuclear submarines, including the USS Nathan Hale (SSBN 623), USS Trepang (SSN 674) and USS Pennsylvania (SSN 674). (SSBN 735). After a successful and illustrious 30-year career, Lee retired from the United States Department of Defense (DOD) from the OP-02 SSBN (submersible ship ballistic missile) program.