- USS Thomason (DE-203)
USS "Thomason" (DE-203) was a "Buckley"-class
destroyer escort of theUnited States Navy inWorld War II . She was named in honor of Marine RaiderSergeant Clyde A. Thomason (1914–1942), the first Marine to be awarded theMedal of Honor in World War II — posthumously, for heroism during theMakin Island raid ."Thomason" was laid down on
5 June 1943 atCharleston, South Carolina , by theCharleston Navy Yard ; launched on23 August 1943 ; sponsored by Miss Sara Jeanette Thomason; and commissioned on10 December 1943 , Lieutenant Commander Charles B. Henriques, USNR, in command.The destroyer escort held shakedown training in the
Bermuda area and performedconvoy escort duty along the east coast fromNewport, R.I. , toPanama . She transited thePanama Canal on21 March 1944 and headed for theNew Hebrides . The ship called atGalapagos , theSociety Islands , andSamoa before arriving atEspiritu Santo on18 April . She joined theU.S. 3d Fleet and, in addition to performing antisubmarine duty inIndispensable Strait which separatesGuadalcanal andMalaita Islands, escorted ships to Guadalcanal.On
26 May , the DE arrived atCape Cretin to join theU.S. 7th Fleet for operations along the coast ofNew Guinea . On3 June , the ship got underway forWakde and arrived there the following week. On the 13th, her gunners helped Armyantiaircraft units repel an enemy air attack. Six days later, she took Army artillery observers along the coast toSarmi where she shelled enemy emplacements and an air strip. The ship operated from Wakde until7 August when she shifted her base of operations toNoemfoor ,Schouten Islands . In early September, she returned to Espiritu Santo for an overhaul.On
4 October , DE-203 stood out to sea to rendezvous with twoammunition ship s to escort them to thePalaus . She remained atKossol Passage for a month, serving as harbor entrance control ship before returning toHollandia . On6 November , the destroyer got underway forMaffin Bay . Two days later, "Thomason" and "Neuendorf" (DE-200) bombarded Sarmi and targets along the bay. With the aid of Army spotting planes, the two ships set fire to enemy storehouses and several other buildings."Thomason" headed for the
Philippines on9 November in the screen of a large convoy of landing craft and supply ships. She arrived inLeyte Gulf on the 15th and sailed the same day with a convoy bound for Hollandia. The destroyer escort then conducted intensive antiaircraft and antisubmarine training atMios Woendi and landing exercises atAitape withattack transport s that were scheduled to participate in theinvasion of Lingayen Gulf .On
28 December 1944 , the destroyer escort sortied forLuzon with Task Group 78.1 (TG 78.1), theSan Fabian Attack Force. En route to the Philippines, she was detached to accompany two fuel oil tankers who were scheduled to refuel the escort ships of Task Force 79 (TF 79), which was also en route toLingayen Gulf ."Thomason" began antisubmarine patrols in
Mangarin Bay , offMindoro on7 January 1945 . One month later, she and "Neuendorf" began antisubmarine patrol duty off the west coast of Luzon. At 22:22 on7 February , "Thomason"'s SL surfaceradar made a contact at a range of 14 miles (26 km), which was thought to be a small boat. She closed the range and challenged the craft with a flashing light. There was no answer, and surface radar lost contact. However,sonar soon made an underwater contact.The escort made a hedgehog run but did not fire because she was going too fast. She made another run and fired a pattern of hedgehogs. On both runs, a large submerged mass, outlined by
phosphorescence , was seen moving through the water at a depth of between 25 and 50 feet. Four to six of the hedgehogs detonated almost simultaneously, and contact with the target was lost. A heavyoil slick , 250 yards in diameter, rose to the surface. The two ships patrolled until late in the morning, in an expanding search pattern, but never regained contact with the Japanesesubmarine . "RO-55" had been sunk in over convert|800|fathom|m of water."Thomason" returned to Mangarin Bay where she resumed antisubmarine patrols. On the 24th, she rescued four airmen who had bailed out of their burning
B-24 Liberator bomber . From March through August, the ship was engaged in antisubmarine patrols and escort duty between various Philippine ports, Palau, and Hollandia. On15 August 1945 , the Japanese surrendered to the Allies. In September, she escorted two convoys fromLuzon toOkinawa . On4 October , "Thomason" stood out ofSubic Bay and headed for the United States. She called atSan Francisco, California on the 27th and moved to San Diego for inactivation. "Thomason" was decommissioned on22 May 1946 and struck from the Navy list on30 June 1968 . On30 June 1969 , she was sold to the National Metal & Steel Corp., Terminal Island,Long Beach, Calif. , for scrap."Thomason" received three
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t5/thomason.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Thomason"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/203.htm navsource.org: USS "Thomason"]
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