Biography of CAPT William D. Thomas, USN

Screen Commander

Task Unit 77.4.3 (Taffy III)

U.S. Navy photograph

Captain William Dow Thomas, U.S. Navy

	Navy Cross
	Purple Heart
	Combat Action Ribbon
	Presidential Unit Citation
	American Defense Service Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
	World War II Victory Medal
	National Defense Service Medal
	Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
	Philippine Liberation Medal
Award Criteria

RANK	DATES	DUTY STATION/EVENT
-	1904	Born in Wilkes-Barre, PA
MIDN	1925 - 1928	Student, U.S. Naval Academy
ENS	1928 - 1930	USS WEST VIRGINIA (BB 48)
LT	1930 - 1935	Various submarines
LCDR	1943	USS CLAXTON (DD-571)
CDR	1943 - 1944	CO, USS HOEL (DD-533)
CAPT	1944	Screen Commander, Task Unit 77.4.3 in USS HOEL (DD-533) at Samar
CAPT	1945 - 1947	CO, Naval Air Station, St. Simons Island, GA
RADM	1947	Retired from Service
-	1947 - 1968	Vice President and Dean of Men, Cogswell College
-	1968	Died

Short biography of
Captain William Dow Thomas, U.S. Navy

William Dow Thomas was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA, in 1904. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1928.

His first assignment was to serve on the USS WEST VIRGINIA (BB 48) until 1930 when he entered the submarine service at New London, Connecticut and served on several submarines until 1935. He served on the Fletcher Class destroyer USS CLAXTON (DD-571) prior to taking command of the USS HOEL when it was commissioned in June 1943.

In August 1944, Captain Thomas was promoted to the rank of Commodore and was assigned as Screen Commander of Task Unit 77.4.3 and remained aboard HOEL as his flagship. He was seriously wounded in the Battle Off Samar when HOEL was sunk. He was hospitalized until February 1945.

Commodore Thomas was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his wounds. Task Unit 77.4.3 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the engagement at Samar.

After Release from the hospital he was assigned as Commanding Officer Naval Air Station, St. Simons Island, GA.

He retired from the Navy as Rear Admiral in 1947. He joined the faculty of Cogswell College upon retirement from the Navy, and at the time of his death in 1968, was Vice President and Dean of Men for the college.

Source: USS JOHNSTON-HOEL Association and Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

Assistance needed!

This biography is a work in progress

If any readers have access to this material, please contact the Webmaster.

Back to Task Group 77.4

Back to Task Unit 77.4.3

Return to Biographies

Return to Main Menu

Honor the Missing in Action and Killed in Action of Taffy III

We do remember. We won't forget.