Thomas Walter Beecham was born in Michigan in 1904 and had a long time residence in the Walteria section of Torrance. He had served in the Navy for 18 years, and was a Chief Electrician’s Mate aboard the battleship U.S.S. Tennessee (BB-43), and then starting in 1941 aboard the submarine U.S.S. Argonaut (SM-1).

In August 1942 the Argonaut participated in the special mission of delivering U.S. Marines to attack Japanese military forces on Makin Island in the Pacific Ocean. According to the sub’s war patrol report, the crowded Argonaut had on board 114 men and 7 officers of the Marine Raiders, plus the 91 men and 8 officers of the sub, for a total of 220 persons. This was believed at the time to be a record number of people embarked on a submarine on an offensive mission.

Beecham was also on board the Argonaut when on January 10, 1943 it was attacked and sunk by Japanese destroyers off Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, after a severe depth charge attack, the Argonaut was forced to the surface. The enemy destroyers then pumped shells into her bow, causing the submarine to stick up at a considerable angle.

CEM Thomas Beecham was among the entire 102 crew members who lost their lives, and all were awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. The sinking of the Argonaut was the worst loss of life for a U.S. submarine during wartime.

Previously, while on war patrol for 55 days, Beecham was given a citation for his “extraordinary devotion to duty” and was commended for the fine work he had done aboard the submarine.  His wife Isabell was residing at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked on December 7, 1941. According to the Torrance Herald, she aided panicked children during the attack and helped pick up the dead.