Thomas was walking down the street in late 1944 and saw a
sign advertising enlistment advantages in the U.S.Coast Guard. Thomas had prior
machine shop experience so he thought that he would be a good fit on a ship. He
was inducted into the Coast Guard on November 24, 1944.
Thomas was assigned to the USCG Big Horn (IX-207) in early
1945 as the ship was being transferred to the Pacific. The Big Horn had
extensive service early in the war in the Atlantic with the U.S. Navy as a “Q-ship”
searching for German U-boats. Later she was transferred to the Coast Guard and
designated IX-207.
Thomas’ job was in the engine and boiler rooms, shaft alley,
generator flat and the water evaporation unit onboard the ship.
The Big Horn sailed in some of the most contested waters in
the Pacific during the latter half of the war. Thomas remembers one day going
ashore in the Philippines. He saw a Japanese machine gunner that had been hit
by a flamethrower; the image is still with him to this day. He also remembers
once being in his bunk when the Big Horn began dropping depth charges. The
explosions were so close he thought the ship had been hit. He had one leg over
the railing and was heading over the side when he was grabbed by a boson’s mate
who asked where he was going!
Another time Thomas was injured when he held onto a 100 pound
piece of metal that he was trying to keep from falling on a shipmate on a deck
below him.
The Big Horn once assisted the famous battleship U.S.S. Pennsylvania
after a Japanese kamikaze aircraft hit the ship, the battleship listing to a
point it was thought the ship would roll over.
Finally, Thomas believes that he and his crew observed the
aircraft searching for the U.S.S. Indianapolis, which was sunk in late 1945
after delivering the atomic bombs to Tinian Island. There was a massive loss of
life after the ship sunk from exposure and sharks attracted to the scene and
the subsequent delay in the navy searching for the delayed cruiser.
Thomas was awarded the Philippine Liberation and Unit medal,
and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal. He also received the WWII Victory medal
and the American Theater medal. He was discharged on May 2, 1946 with the rank
of MM3C.
No comments:
Post a Comment