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Casualty Info
Home Town Nashville, TN
Last Address 1605 Pearl St Nashville, TN
Casualty Date Jan 10, 1943
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
On January 10th, 1943, the USS Argonaut (SS-166) was attacking a Japanese convoy when she was counterattacked by the convoy escorts. An allied plane witnessed her attack. The submarine was apparently damaged by a depth charge. When she came to the surface, she was subsequently sunk by gun fire from the Japanese destroyers escorting the convoy, with a loss of all crew members. Cook 2nd Class Thomas was officially declared dead on January 11, 1944.
On July 9, 1934 Willie entered the Navy at Nashville. He would later re-enlist on October 8, 1940 at San Diego, California. As a Seaman 1st class, he served aboard USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) from 1935 to 1940. He then served aboard USS Idaho (BB-42), USS Whitney (AD-4) and USS Arizona (BB-39). As an Officer’s Steward 3rd class he served aboard USS Harris (AP-8).
He reported aboard USS Argonaut February 6, 1942, as an Officer’s Steward 2nd class. USS Argonaut (APS-1, later known as SS-166) was the largest American submarine during WWII. Her first patrol near Midway had resulted in no damage to enemy ships, but her second was a most successful one. It was conducted following a complete modernization, at Mare Island. Her mission on this one had been to cooperate with Nautilus in transporting 252 Marine officers and men to Makin Island for a diversionary raid against enemy shore installations. In the early morning of 17 August 1942, the raiders were debarked in boats. After nearly two days ashore, the Marines returned, and the submarines transported them back to Pearl Harbor, Argonaut arriving on August 26.
While operating in the area southeast of New Britain in the Solomon Sea off Papau, New Guinea during her third patrol, Argonaut intercepted a Japanese convoy returning to Rabaul from Lae on January 10, 1943. A U. S. Army plane which was out of bombs saw one destroyer hit by a torpedo, saw the explosion of two other destroyers, and reported that there were five other vessels in the group. On the basis of the report given by the Army flier who witnessed the attack in which Argonaut perished, this ship was credited with having damaged one Japanese destroyer on her last patrol.
Argonaut was sunk by Japanese aircraft and destroyers Isokaze and Maikaze during this encounter on January 10, 1943. OC2 Willie D. Thomas was among the 8 officers and 94 crew members lost. Later issued letters of commendation indicate “as a result of a severe counterattack the Argonaut was forced to break surface but with no regard to personal safety and in the face of imminent death, the officers and crew accepted destruction rather than surrender.”
Willie D. Thomas’ name appears on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Philippines. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.
Service number: 2952512
Submarine war patrols: USS Argonaut (SS-166) - 2nd
Some internet sources have Willie Thomas' job listed simply as Cook, which can be confused with Ship's Cook that falls under the Commissary Branch. The official Navy muster rolls have him listed as Officers Cook (OC), which is part of the Messman Branch. Although currently shown as an Officers Steward at this profile, Officers Cook is the correct designation. The information will be changed if the researchers at TWS add the Officers Cook NEC to the list.
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
Historical Sketch of USS Whitney (AD-4),
Named for William Collins Whitney (1841- 1904), who served as secretary of the Navy during the Cleveland administration, 1885-89, where he did much to improve the navy.
