Thomas Eadie (April 8, 1887 – November 14, 1974) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

diver and a recipient of America's highest military decoration - the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Biography

Thomas Eadie was born on April 8, 1887, in Glasgow,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. He enlisted in the

on July 6, 1905, and was eventually rated as a Gunner's Mate and was also trained as a diver. While serving as a Chief Gunner's Mate in the 1920s, he assisted in salvage work on the sunken

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s and , receiving the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for each operation, and the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism in rescuing a fellow diver on the ''S-4'' on December 18, 1927. Eadie retired from active duty on February 1, 1939. He returned to active service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on April 30, 1942, receiving appointment as Chief Gunner (

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

). He was promoted to ensign on August 15, 1942, and to lieutenant on July 1, 1944. He retired with that rank in September 1946. Thomas Eadie died at Brockton,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, on November 14, 1974, and was buried in

Island Cemetery The Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery are a pair of separate cemeteries on Farewell and Warner Street in Newport, Rhode Island. Together they contain over 5,000 graves, including a colonial-era slave cemetery and Jewish graves. The pair ...

annex in Newport,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. There is a plaque in his honor at the First Presbyterian Church in Newport and Eadie Street in Newport is named after him.

Award citations

Medal of Honor citation

The official Medal of Honor citation for Chief Gunner's Mate Thomas Eadie is as follows:

For display of extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession above and beyond the call of duty on 18 December 1927, during the diving operations in connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. ''S-4'' with all on board, as a result of a collision off
Provincetown Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...
, Mass. On this occasion when MICHELS, Chief Torpedoman, United States Navy, while attempting to connect an air line to the submarine at a depth of 102 feet became seriously fouled, EADIE, under the most adverse diving conditions, deliberately, knowingly and willingly took his own life in his hands by promptly descending to the rescue in response to the desperate need of his companion diver. After two hours of extremely dangerous and heartbreaking work, by his cool, calculating and skillful labors, he succeeded in his mission and brought MICHELS safely to the surface.

1st Navy Cross

The official citation for Chief Gunner's Mate Thomas Eadie's first Navy Cross is as follows:

For extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty on the occasion of the salvaging of the U.S.S. ''S-51''.

2nd Navy Cross

The official citation for Chief Gunner's Mate Thomas Eadie's second Navy Cross is as follows:

For extraordinary heroism and fearless devotion to duty during the diving operations in connection with the salvage of the U.S.S. ''S-4'' sunk as a result of a collision off Provincetown, Massachusetts, 17 December 1927. During the period, 17 December 1927 to 17 March 1928, on which latter date the ill-fated vessel was raised, Eadie, under the most adverse weather conditions, at the risk of his life, descended many times into the icy waters and displayed throughout that fortitude, skill, determination and courage which characterizes conduct above and beyond the call of duty.

In addition to the above, Eadie also received the

Navy Good Conduct Medal The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Navy's variant of the Good Conduct Medal was established in 1869, the Marine Corps version in 1896, the Coast Guard version in 1923, the Arm ...

, Victory Medal,

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

and World War Two Victory Medal.

References