Thomas Withers

Thomas Withers, Jr. (28 May 1886 – 25 Jun 1953), was a rear admiral in the United States Navy.

Thomas Withers, Jr.
Born	(1886-05-28)May 28, 1886 Roseland, Virginia
Died	June 25, 1953(1953-06-25) (aged 67)[1] Coronado, California
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery[1]
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1906-1946
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	USS E-1 (SS-24) Submarine Division 4 Submarine Division 95 USS California (BB-44) COMSUBPAC Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Alma mater	United States Naval Academy
Spouse(s)	Helen Fuller[1]

Withers graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1906. He later became qualified in and commanded submarines. At the beginning of World War II in December 1941, he was Commander, Submarine Force, United States Pacific Fleet. There he championed the reliability and efficacy of the Mark 14 torpedo, at a time when submarine commanding officers were discovering that the magnetic detonator for the torpedo were ineffective. Not very long afterward, he was reassigned to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, in 1942, where he served for the remainder of the war.[2]

Withers retired from the Navy in 1946 as a rear admiral with forty years of naval service. He died in Coronado, California, in 1953 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.[1]