Thomas Walter Beecham was born October 1, 2004 in Michigan. In 1910 he was a ward of the State Public School in Coldwater Township, Branch county, Michigan. Opened in 1874, the purpose of the institution was to receive, care for, educate, and place whenever possible in family homes dependent children. The school was located on a farm of 160 acres, covered partly by orchards, ornamental trees, and gardens. The buildings consisted of an administration building, schoolhouse proper, and nine cottages among which the children lived, supervised by matrons. Thomas was adopted by Loran and Leatha McAlister, and in 1920 they lived on the family farm in Elk Township, Sanilac county, Michigan. Thomas attended school there. He had a grammar school education.

In 1925 he entered the Navy. From 1929 to 1941 he served aboard USS Tennessee (BB-33) as Chief Electrician’s Mate. On January 5, 1931 he married Isabell D. Miller in Los Angeles, California. He again re-enlisted on July 30, 1940. On December 7, 1941 they were in Pearl Harbor. Tennessee was moored in Battleship Row when the Japanese attacked, but was not seriously damaged. Isabell “was one of the Navy wives who helped clean up after that bitter day, caring for wounded and dying, for lost children and grief-stricken families. For three days she did not take off her clothes. During those days she did not know where her husband was or if he was safe. Later she was one of 1500 people evacuated on SS Aquitania.”

Thomas reported aboard USS Argonaut on June 20, 1941. USS Argonaut (APS-1, later known as SS-166) was the largest American submarine during WWII. Her first patrol near Midway had resulted in no damage to enemy ships, but her second was a most successful one. It was conducted following a complete modernization, at Mare Island. Her mission on this one had been to cooperate with Nautilus in transporting 252 Marine officers and men to Makin Island for a diversionary raid against enemy shore installations. In the early morning of 17 August 1942, the raiders were debarked in boats. After nearly two days ashore, the Marines returned, and the submarines transported them back to Pearl Harbor, Argonaut arriving on August 26.

While operating in the area southeast of New Britain in the Solomon Sea off Papau, New Guinea during her third patrol, Argonaut intercepted a Japanese convoy returning to Rabaul from Lae on January 10, 1943. A U. S. Army plane which was out of bombs saw one destroyer hit by a torpedo, saw the explosion of two other destroyers, and reported that there were five other vessels in the group. On the basis of the report given by the Army flier who witnessed the attack in which Argonaut perished, this ship was credited with having damaged one Japanese destroyer on her last patrol.

Argonaut was sunk by Japanese aircraft and destroyers Isokaze and Maikaze during this encounter on January 10, 1943. EMC Thomas Beecham was among the 8 officers and 94 crew members lost. Later issued letters of commendation indicate “as a result of a severe counterattack the Argonaut was forced to break surface but with no regard to personal safety and in the face of imminent death, the officers and crew accepted destruction rather than surrender.”

Thomas W. Beecham’s name appears on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Philippines.

References:

1910; Census Place: Coldwater, Branch, Michigan; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0013

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Public_School_at_Coldwater

1920; Census Place: Elk, Sanilac, Michigan; Roll: T625_796; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 145

Ancestry.com. California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980

1940; Census Place: Inglewood, Los Angeles, California; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 19-311

https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/beecham-t-w.htm

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56754378/thomas-walter-beecham

Ancestry.com. U.S., Navy Casualties Books, 1776-1941

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tennessee_(BB-43)

https://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08166.htm

Naval History and Heritage Command - USS Argonaut

https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-argonaut-166-loss.html

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949

News-Pilot, San Pedro, CA: May 17, 1943, p.8

This story is part of the Stories

Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a

national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US

WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these

stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people

to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her

story.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at sgould557@gmail.com.

Beecham, Thomas Walter, CEM