Navy Chaplain Lieutenant Thomas M. Conway, who grew up on Cooke Street in Waterbury, was a chaplain aboard the USS Medusa and the USS Indianapolis during the Second World War. On July 30, 1945, Father Conway was aboard the USS Indianapolis when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Of the 1,196 crew aboard, approximately 300 were killed in the attack and subsequent sinking of the ship. Father Conway was among the roughly 900 sailors left in the water facing shark attacks, dehydration, and exposure. For three straight days, Father Conway swam back and forth among crew members, helping individual sailors who drifted away to rejoin their comrades, organizing prayer groups, and urging the increasingly dehydrated and delirious men not to give up hope of rescue. He died on the third day, August 2, 1945, shortly before Navy pilots spotted the survivors. Just 316 men survived, making the sinking of the USS Indianapolis the single greatest loss of life at sea in the history of the United States Navy. This week, Senator Blumenthal and I sent Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, new evidence and documentation from veterans across the United States supporting the application to posthumously award Father Conway the Navy Cross – America’s second highest military decoration for valor. We were able to get these stories thanks to the local efforts of Bob Dorr, Secretary of the Waterbury veterans Memorial Committee, and the entire Waterbury Veterans Committee. They were able to gather eyewitness accounts of Father Conway’s actions to help make the case for this recognition to the Navy. The living survivors of the USS Indianapolis have made it their mission to make sure Father Conway is recognized by the U.S. Navy for his acts of heroism, saving many of their comrades’ lives at sea. Im proud to join their efforts so that Father Conway is posthumously awarded the Navy Cross which he undoubtedly deserves.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 16:04:09 +0000