Forrestal (CVA 59) - Naval Cruise Book

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commanding officer LEONARD A. SNEAD Captain Leonard A. Snead is the son of Mrs. Mar- tha E. Snead of Baltimore, Maryland. He attended school in Mt. Airy, Maryland before entering the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1943. After graduation in 1946, Captain Snead,s assignment was aboard the USS SPOKANE QCLAA- He entered flight training at Pensacola, Florida in ruary 1949 and was designated a naval aviator in 1950. Captain Snead's first squadron duty was high U.S. first 1203. Feb- May with Patrol Squadron 45. In March of 1953 he returned to the Basic Training Command in Pensacola, Florida for a three year tour. His next assignment was as flag lieu- tenant for Commander Carrier Division Three. From November 1957 until July 1959, he was a special wea- pons delivery pilot with Heavy Attack Squadron Six. As an A3D CSkywarriorj pilot, he deployed to the Wes- tern Pacific in USS RANGER CCVA-611. After a year's study at the Naval War College, Cap- tain Snead was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland as .arstudent test pilot in June 1960. Following eight months of. training he was assigned to the Flight Test Division as a Project Pilot evaluating various new aircraft. His last year at NATC was spent as Head of the Flying Qualities and Performance Branch of Flight Test. E, 4 Captain Snead has flown 51 models of aircraft repre- senting a broad spectrum of U. S. Naval Aviation, British and French aircraft. On May 8, 1964, he took command of Attack Squadron 75, the first operational squadron to transition to the A6A Qlntruderj and to be deployed to combat in Vietnam. He led the Sunday Punchersv in strikes against enemy targets in North and South Vietnam while embarked in USS INDEPEN- dence CCVA-621. In August 1965 Captain Snead asf sumed command of Attack Squadron 42, the Oceana- based A6A Training Squadron. In June 1966 he was assigned as Operations Officer aboard the Norfolk- based attack carrier USS INDEPENDENCE. From June 1967 until August 1969, he was assigned as A6A Program Coordinator in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon. In August 1969 he assumed command of the ammunition ship USS DIAMOND HEAD CAE-195, and on 13 November 1970 he became the 16th commanding officer of the USS FORRESTAL CCVA-591. . A Captain Snead is married to the former Elizabeth Sandruck of Baltimore, Maryland and has four children: Alex, 21, a senior at George Washington University, James, 20, a junior at the Naval Academy,.Michael, 17, a senior at First Colonial High School, and Paul They presently reside at 1617 Dendron Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia. , Captain Snead has been selected for promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral. A

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