Thomas Leigh Gatch

Thomas Leigh Gatch (August 9, 1891 – December 16, 1954) was an American naval officer and attorney in the 20th century. A native of Oregon, and grandson of educator Thomas Milton Gatch, he served in the United States Navy as a ship commander during World War II and Judge Advocate General of the Navy from 1943 to 1945. His last command was as commander of the Atlantic Fleet's service force.

Early life Thomas L. Gatch was born on August 9, 1891, in Salem, Oregon to Claude Gatch and Helen Plummer. His grandfather had been the president of Willamette University in Salem, and both his father and grandfather served as mayor of the town. However he later transferred to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and graduated in 1912.

In 1935, Gatch returned to the JAG's headquarters where he remained through 1938. He then returned to sea until 1940. In 1940, he began serving as Assistant Judge Advocate General, keeping that post until February 1942 after World War II began. He received two Navy Crosses for his service. Gatch's time in command was not without controversy. He was, correctly or incorrectly, blamed for a number of incidents involving his command; the grounding of his ship in Tonga in mid-1942, his collision with the destroyer in late 1942, and the inclusion in his crew of a 12-year-old boy - Calvin Graham - who was wounded during the Guadalcanal campaign. While Gatch's time in command was not without victory and success, his reports were often criticized for gross exaggerations of success. Gatch's actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal included a fateful decision to initially engage the Japanese battleship Kirishima with his secondary battery only. During the subsequent fighting, the South Dakota suffered significant casualties, among them Gatch. Gatch was injured by shell splinters when the bridge of the South Dakota was struck by shells from the Kirishima.

In 1943, Gatch was invalided to shore duty, officially due to his wounds. He became the 16th Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy. Gatch was promoted to rear admiral with seniority dating from September 5, 1942. Vice Admiral Thomas Leigh Gatch retired from the Navy in 1947. Thomas had one sibling, Orytha.

Gatch married Nancy Weems Dashiell, a daughter of naval ordnance expert Robert B. Dashiell, in June 1917. They had three children: Thomas Jr., Nancy, and Eleanor.

After retiring from the Navy, Gatch returned to his native Oregon where he joined the law firm of Boyd, Ferris & Erwin in Portland. and is buried there at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.