THOMAS G. FISHER, LT, USN
Thomas Fisher '18
Lucky Bag
From the 1918 Lucky Bag:
The Class of 1918 was graduated on June 28, 1917 due to World War I.
Loss
Thomas was lost on July 30, 1931 when the plane he was piloting broke up during practice dive-bombing off the coast of California. He was the executive officer of Bombing Squadron (VB) 2B, flying from USS Saratoga (CV 3).
His body was never recovered. He was survived by his wife and mother.
Prior Accidents
On June 21, 1927 he was the only survivor of a crash (that killed two others) off the coast of California; he swam several hours to shore.
On July 24, 1930, he successfully bailed out of an aircraft near San Diego.
Schiff Trophy
From Davis-Monthan Aviation Field Register:
Lieutenant Thomas Geary Fisher, USN, familiarly known throughout the service as "Bubbles", was presented the Schiff Trophy at noon, Saturday, December 14th, by President Hoover. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Mt. Jahnke, read the citation. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics, Admiral Hughes, Admiral Leigh and Admiral Moffett, accompanied by their aides were present during the ceremony. The ceremony took place without accident, except that "Bubbles" dropped the cup.
Mr. William Schiff gave a dinner at the Mayflower Hotel at 8:00 o'clock, Saturday, December 14th, in honor of Lieutenant Fisher. This dinner was attended by eighty-eight guests and from all reports it appears that they had a most enjoyable evening.
…
Lieutenant Fisher is a resident of Oxon Hill, Maryland. He was born 18 September, 1894, at Fort Foote, Maryland. He attended public schools in Maryland and Washington, leaving Eastern High School, Washington, D.C. in 1913 to enter the Naval Academy. He graduated from the Academy in June, 1917, and during the World War served aboard the USS MACDONOUGH. He was attached to the USS UPSHUR in China after the war and was then transferred to the USS UTAH. After serving board the USS FOX and USS STURTEVANT, he was ordered to Pensacola, Florida, in June 1923, for aviation training. After completing that course, he was ordered to VF Squadron One (Fighting Squadron One) of the Battle Fleet, where he served until July, 1926.
He was in command of Squadron VN7D11 at San Diego, Calif., from December, 1927, to July 15, 1929. He is now the executive officer of VB Squadron Two-B, attached to the USS SARATOGA.
Related Articles
Thomas survived a plane crash in 1927 that claimed the life of William Hactor '15.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
March 1918
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS MacDonough
January 1921
Lieutenant, USS Upshur
January 1922
Lieutenant, USS Utah
July 1923
Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
September 1923
Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
November 1923
Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
January 1924
Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
March 1924
Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Others at this command:
May 1924
Lieutenant, for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, USS Aroostook
Others at this command:
July 1924
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
September 1924
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
January 1925
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
March 1925
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
May 1925
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
July 1925
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
October 1925
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1
January 1926
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1
October 1926
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
Others at this command:
January 1927
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
Others at this command:
April 1927
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
Others at this command:
October 1927
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
January 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
April 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
July 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
October 1928
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
January 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
April 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Air Station San Diego
July 1929
Lieutenant, Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LTjg Ted Marshall '24 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS Henry Dozier '27 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (USS Saratoga)
October 1929
Lieutenant, Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
January 1930
Lieutenant, Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LTjg Hubert Waters '25 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Loren Morris '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS Eugene Lindsey '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS Julian Greer '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (USS Saratoga)
April 1930
Lieutenant, Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Charles Signer '26 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
October 1930
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Charles Hart '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Dudley Morton '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Craig '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
January 1931
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Charles Hart '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Dudley Morton '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Craig '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
April 1931
Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Warren Graf '27 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
July 1931
Lieutenant, commanding officer, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga
Others at this command:
Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS William Arthur '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Leo Crane '31 (USS Saratoga)
ENS George Stone '31 (USS Saratoga)
Class of 1918
Thomas is one of 14 members of the Class of 1918 on Virtual Memorial Hall.