WILLIAM A. THORN, CAPT, USN
William Thorn '32
Lucky Bag
From the 1932 Lucky Bag:
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.
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.
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
LT William Sample '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT John Jones '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT William Ault '22 (Torpedo and Bombing Squadron (VT) 1S)
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
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 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
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 Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
July 1933
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 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
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 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
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)
LTjg Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
July 1934
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Baylies Clark '30
ENS Charles Palmer, Sr. '31
ENS Lorenz Forbes '31
ENS Ford Wallace '31
October 1934
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31
LTjg Ford Wallace '31
LTjg William Freshour '31
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
January 1935
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31
ENS Edward Allen '31
April 1935
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31
ENS Edward Allen '31
October 1935
LT James Craig '22
LT Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
LT Robert Bedilion '22
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Richard Baron '24
LT Richard Gingras '25
LT Harold Pound '25
LT William Graham, Jr. '25
LT Andrew Harris '25
LT Ralph Hickox '27
LTjg John Bermingham '29
January 1938
LT Robert Bedilion '22
LT William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Richard Baron '24
LT Richard Gingras '25
LT Harold Pound '25
LT William Graham, Jr. '25
LT Andrew Harris '25
LT Ralph Hickox '27
LT John Bermingham '29
July 1938
January 1939
LT Renwick Calderhead '27
LT Samuel Dealey '30
LTjg John Huntley '31
LTjg Albert Gray '31
LTjg Glenn Dunagan '33
LTjg Norman Ostergren '35
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LT Alden Irons '31 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
2LT Ralph Haas '36 (Marine Barracks)
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
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