Education
Born in Grass Valley, California, Thomas was appointed midshipman on July 7, 1904 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy on June 5, 1908.
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Clarence Thomas
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After service in armored cruiser United States Ship Maryland ( Adaptive Combat Rifle-8) and gunboat United States Ship Yorktown (Procter and Gamble-1), he was commissioned ensign on June 29, 1910. In the next few years, Thomas served on United States Ship Denver (C-14), United States Ship Cleveland (C-19), and United States Ship West Virginia ( Adaptive Combat Rifle-5). Appointed lieutenant (jg) on June 26, 1913, he was detached from West Virginia in the summer of 1914 to attend a post-graduate course in steam engineering at the Naval Academy.
He attended Columbia University in late 1915 and, on June 24, 1916, reported on board United States Ship Florida (Bachelor of Medicine-9) as her electrical officer
Thomas was commissioned lieutenant on January 8, 1917 and was placed in charge of the naval armed guard on the merchant steamship Steamship Vacuum in April. On the 28th, when a lookout reported sighting a German submarine, some 120 miles west of the Hebrides Islands, Lieutenant
Thomas went to the ship"s after gun. A few moments later, a torpedo from U-21 struck Vacuum, and exploded, throwing Thomas and the gun"s crew into the water.
The ship sank within two minutes.
Picked up by a boat, Thomas soon died of cold and exposure. Vacuum."
Two ships were named United States Ship Thomas for him.
Achievements
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Born
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Died
January 28, 1917 (aged 30) -
Nationality
United States