Lloyd Thomas
Lloyd Thomas (March 10, 1912 – June 4, 1942) was an aviator in United States Navy who was killed in action in World War II during the Battle of Midway while attacking an Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier.
Lloyd Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1912 Nelsonville, Ohio |
| Died | June 4, 1942 (aged 30) near Midway Atoll |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1938–1942 |
| Rank | lieutenant (jg.) |
| Unit | Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Battle of Midway |
| Awards | Navy Cross (posthumous) |
Biography
Thomas was born in Nelsonville, Ohio. He was the second son and the fifth of six children of Perry Rice Thomas, a miner, and Donna Maria Fisher Thomas. He attended the local schools, graduating from Chauncey Dover High School and earning a degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in June 1935.
Thomas was appointed as an aviation cadet on 4 October 1938, and commissioned as an ensign on 26 October 1939. He joined Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 13 December 1939 and a year later was promoted to lieutenant, junior grade.
Piloting a Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bomber on 4 June 1942, Thomas gave his life in his squadron's attack during the Battle of Midway.
He married Mildred Macklin, a Navy nurse, in Yuma, Arizona, taking out a marriage license on March 1, 1941. His widow never remarried. She christened the destroyer escort named in his honor. She died on March 18, 1994 in San Mateo, California.
Awards
Thomas was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism and courage in combat at Midway.
Namesake
The name Lloyd Thomas was assigned first to the destroyer escort USS Lloyd Thomas (DE-312) and then to the destroyer escort USS Lloyd Thomas (DE-374), but both were canceled in 1944 before their construction was complete. In 1945, the destroyer USS Lloyd Thomas (DD-764), in commission from 1947 to 1972, was named in his honor.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.