Thomas Ewing Crowley
Thomas Ewing Crowley was born 18-Apr 1902 in Madison, Madison County, Illinois. He was the son of James P. Crowley Jr (1872–1905) of St. Charles County, Missouri and Mary Crowley. He had one sister: Joan.
He had lived in St Louis, St Louis County, Missouri before attending the University of California where he studied dentistry. He served with the Navy at age 16. At the end of his enlistment, he returned to St. Louis and attended Chaminade College then went out to California where he studied dentistry.
Thomas rejoined the U.S. Navy in 1927 as a dental officer. He later lived in Los Angeles, California. Lieutenant Commander Thomas Crowley was musted aboard the USS Arizona.
On December 6, 1941, the Arizona returned to its base at Pearl Harbor. The next morning, at approximately 7:55 AM, Japan launched a surprise attack on the naval base. For nearly two hours, more than 350 Japanese aircraft—which included torpedo planes, bombers, and fighters—dropped bombs on U.S. vessels. At approximately 8:10 AM, the Arizona was struck by a 1,760-pound (800-kg) projectile. The impact caused munitions and fuels to ignite, creating a massive explosion that reportedly lifted the battleship out of the water. As it sank, the ship was struck by more bombs. In addition, some claimed that the Arizona was also hit by torpedoes, though no evidence was found to support that assertion. While 334 crew members survived, the death toll on the Arizona was 1,177 and remain entombed on the ship today.
His body was never recovered and remain entombed today on the USS Arizona. Thomas Ewing Crowley is listed on the “Tablets of the Missing”, Honolulu, Hawaii.
On 22-Sep 1943 the US Navy named the destroyer escort USS Crowley (DE-303) in his honor. His widow and young son attended the ceremony.
Thomas Ewing Crowley was eligible for the following medals and commendations:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Navy Presidential Unit Citation
- Navy Good Conduct Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
- Navy Expeditionary Medal
For the rest of his story, click on the pdf below.
KIA 7-Dec 1941-Thomas Ewing Crowley
