WILLIAM A. THORN, CAPT, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
William Thorn '32

Date of birth: August 6, 1907

Date of death: December 4, 1958

Age: 51

Lucky Bag

From the 1932 Lucky Bag:

1932 Thorn LB.jpg

WILLIAM ALVAH THORN

Loreley, Maryland

"Bill" "Ted"

In a quiet town situated some forty miles from Crabtown, Bill first heard about the ships that go down to the sea, and he soon decided that he was best suited for a seafaring life. So, with this motive, to emulate "John Paul," Ted climbed aboard one of those parlor cars for Annapolis early on the morning of the thirteenth, and ere the day was done William A. Thorn officially appeared on the register.

Bill's lot while with us has been merely a continuation of a brilliant career which began at Baltimore Poly, and with surprisingly little effort he has been able to distinguish himself on the athletic field as well as in the classroom. Track is his favorite sport, and to date he has been awarded letters and medals as a proof of his merit.

A pal and a friend that any man would be proud to have, we wish Bill full speed ahead and good luck in the years to come.

Track N; Cross Country; Board Track; Lacrosse 31.

1932 Thorn LB.jpg

WILLIAM ALVAH THORN

Loreley, Maryland

"Bill" "Ted"

In a quiet town situated some forty miles from Crabtown, Bill first heard about the ships that go down to the sea, and he soon decided that he was best suited for a seafaring life. So, with this motive, to emulate "John Paul," Ted climbed aboard one of those parlor cars for Annapolis early on the morning of the thirteenth, and ere the day was done William A. Thorn officially appeared on the register.

Bill's lot while with us has been merely a continuation of a brilliant career which began at Baltimore Poly, and with surprisingly little effort he has been able to distinguish himself on the athletic field as well as in the classroom. Track is his favorite sport, and to date he has been awarded letters and medals as a proof of his merit.

A pal and a friend that any man would be proud to have, we wish Bill full speed ahead and good luck in the years to come.

Track N; Cross Country; Board Track; Lacrosse 31.

Loss

William was lost on December 4, 1958 when the plane he was aboard crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The other man board, Edward Seiler, Jr. '39, was also killed; they were both stationed at the Pentagon on the Navy Staff.

From the Daily Press, Newport News, Virginia, December 5, 1958

WASHINGTON (AP) – While work-bound motorists watched in horror, a twin-engine plane crashed into the Potomac River Thursday carrying two Navy captains to sudden death. . . .

Thursday’s accident was about 1,000 feet southeast of the twin-span 14th St. Bridge, which is heavily traveled at the time of the crash – 9:14 a.m.

One witness was Mark Stublarec, an airlines employe on his way to work.

“Through the haze I saw a twin-engine plane coming in low over the water. I heard him with power on just off Haius Point,” he said.

“He skipped into the water, bounced high into the air, hit the water a second time and the plane exploded.

“I saw a wing turn up into the air and then the whole plane disappeared beneath the water.” . . .

The wreckage was in 25 feet of water.

Both Thorn and Seiler were qualified instrument pilots and both specialized in antisubmarine work in the office of the chief of naval operations.

Other Information

From Find A Grave:

Ensign W. A. Thorn, USN, was designated Naval Aviator #4146 in 1935. Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1931. Captain Thorn commanded the aircraft carrier U.S.S. ANTIETAM (CVS-36) 1956-1957. Killed, along with with Navy Capt. Edward Herman Seiler, Jr. (NA #11545/1942), when the twin-engined JRB Beechcraft they were flying crashed into the Potomac River shortly after taking off from NAS Anacostia, Wash., D.C.

Captain Thorn was survived by his widow, Mrs. Norma Etheridge Thorn, two daughters and a son.

From the January 1959 issue of Shipmate:

It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Capt W. A. THORN on 4 December 1958 as a result of an airplane accident in Washington, D. C. At the time of his death he was with the Anti-Submarine Warfare Readiness Executive Office of the Office of Chief of Naval Operations. Captain Thorne is survived by his widow, Norma E.; two daughters, Margaret, 9, and Susan, 7; a son by a previous marriage, William A., Jr., and his mother, Margaret Thorn, Edgewater, Md.

From The Baltimore Sun, Maryland, December 6, 1958:

…Born in Philadelphia, he grew up in Baltimore and was graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

He received his wings as a naval aviator in 1935, and served aboard the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Langley. Before and during World War II, he served with patrol squadrons in Iceland and elsewhere, and did staff duty in the United States.

Among his decorations were the Air Medal and awards from the Panamanian and Ecuadorian governments.

Captain Thorn’s father, the late Eugene N. Thorn, was a long-time employee of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in this city. The officer is survived by his mother, his wife, three children and two brothers.

His mother was Margaret Louise. William’s daughters were Margaret Thorn Rawls and Susan Thorn Marr. His widow married Rear Admiral Ben W. Sarver in 1965.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Wartime Service

William was commanding officer of Patrol Squadron (VP) 74, based in Bermuda, in early January 1942.

In 1954 he was commanding officer of the Coco Solo Naval Base, Panama.

Related Articles

Edward Seiler, Jr. '39 was also lost in this crash.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.

October 1932
Ensign, USS Lexington


Others at or embarked at this command:
LCDR Henry Mullinnix '16 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
January 1933
Ensign, USS Lexington


Others at or embarked at this command:
LCDR Henry Mullinnix '16 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5S)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3S)
April 1933
Ensign, USS Lexington


Others at or embarked at this command:
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
July 1933
Ensign, USS Lexington


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
October 1933
Ensign, USS Lexington


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Charles Ostrom '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
April 1934
Ensign, USS Lexington


Others at or embarked at this command:
LTjg James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Edwin Kelly '30 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 1B)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
January 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley


Others at or embarked at USS Langley:
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
April 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley


Others at or embarked at USS Langley:
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
July 1936
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley


Others at or embarked at USS Langley:
LT Stephen Cooke '21 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LT Walter Dey '24 (USS Langley)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
January 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley

Others at this command:
April 1937
Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B, USS Langley

Others at this command:
July 1938
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Elliot
October 1939
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Squadron (VP) 52, Norfolk, Virginia

June 1940
Lieutenant (j.g.), Patrol Squadron (VP) 55, Norfolk, Virginia
November 1940
Lieutenant, Patrol Squadron (VP) 55, Norfolk, Virginia
April 1941
Lieutenant, Patrol Squadron (VP) 55, Norfolk, Virginia


Class of 1932

William is one of 53 members of the Class of 1932 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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