Henry Ras Thames

Henry Ras Thames was born on December 23, 1896 in Collins, Mississippi, to Thomas R. and Lucy A. Thames. The family moved to Hammond, Louisiana, in 1907 when Henry was twelve years old. Thames entered LSU in the fall of 1917 and in April of 1918, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was initially stationed in New Orleans at the School of Wireless Telegraphy but soon volunteered for submarine warfare and was sent to New London, Connecticut, to learn to operate the Edison Listening Machine. He became a quartermaster and was assigned to the U.S.S. Champlain that was under construction at Mare Island Navy Yard in California. While waiting for the ship to be completed, Thames contracted influenza and pneumonia and died on October 15, 1918. He is buried in Hammond.

Research conducted by Caroline Marse