Lieutenant JG (junior grade) Arthur Daniel Thomas 402902
Lieutenant JG (junior grade) Arthur Daniel Thomas 402902 US Navy. He was born on February 11, 1923 in Seattle, Washington, the son of Walter Thomas and Agnes G Harn Thomas. He is also the brother of Yeoman, Third Class Gene Edward Thomas. He attended Deertrail Colorado schools. At the time of his enlistment he was 5 foot 8 inches tall weighed 152 pounds. At the time of his enlistment he was working for the Douglas Aircraft Company in Inglewood California. While training in California then Ensign Thomas accidentally crashed his airplane, resulting in no deaths. Shortly after the crash he was sent to serve on the USS Indiana BB58 in the Aviation unit. He served on the USS Indiana from February 1945 until September 29, 1945 when the USS Indiana arrived in San Francisco. The Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher that Lieutenant JG Thomas Co-flew is currently located in Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Dulles. Lieutenant JG Thomas was awarded the navy aviation wings, the Asiatic Pacific Theater of operations Medal (PTO), The American Theater of operations Medal, and the World War Two Victory Medal. When he got home from the war he met Irene Tharnish a Union Pacific Railroad employee, they were married in 1946. Arthur Thomas died on December 7, 1999, at the age of 76, in Dallas Texas.
Art Thomas Navy history written by him and letter from the USS Indiana Association
Source:
1- Arthur Daniel Thomas Photo Album
2- U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949
3- USS Indiana BB-58 Crews book 1945
4- Oral History with the Thomas family.
5- 1930 United States Federal Census
6- 1940 United States Federal Census
7- U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
During the morning of August 7, 1945 the USS Indiana launched two seaplanes for an authorized routine patrol flight. In one of these planes was ARM 3C Robert B. Watson as radioman with LTJG Everett R Backman USNR the pilot. The day was beautifully clear with a calm sea and a very slight breeze. A normal launching was made and ARM 3C Watson and LTJG Backman plane circled the ship and headed toward its assigned sector. The Ship spoke to LTJG Backman the planes pilot on the radio and he answered there was no intimation of anything amiss. In the meantime, the pilot of the 2nd plane was piloted by Ensign Arthur D. Thomas USNR and the radioman was Arm 2/C Larry Hawn. The 2nd plane was trying to catch up with the plane piloted by LTJG Backman. While Ensign Thomas was still approximately 300 yards behind LTJG Backmans plane. At this point Thomas saw Backmans plane suddenly slip off to the left and spin down and structed the water 600 feet below with a terrific crash. The crash occurred at 0802 AM local time. By the time Ensign Thomas could do a half circle and land a maneuver taking approximately one minute there was no sign of the plane or its two occupants except for a small amount of floating debris and oil through which Ensign Thomas searched carefully. A destroyer was directed to the scene of the crash and joined in the search. The destroyer reported finding several small pieces of wreckage in a large oil spot. Ensign Thomas plane was still at the scene of the crash when the destroyer appeared. According to the Captain of the USS Indiana “Due to the foregoing circumstances I was forced to conclude that your son was definitely dead even though his body was not recovered.”
Arthur Thomas Irene Tharnish
