The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the June 2024 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy Veteran, Lieutenant William Webb. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview Lieutenant William Webb at the USS Lloyd Thomas Association Reunion held at Annapolis Maryland in the Spring of 2023. 

Lieutenant Webb was inspired to apply to the United States Naval Academy when a recruiter visited his high school in Williamstown Kentucky. Lieutenant Webb spoke about his decision to apply to the Naval Academy and reflected on his Father’s service in the Army during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater. The appointment process to the Naval Academy was not a simple one and an uphill journey led Lieutenant Webb to receiving a prized seat for the Class of 1970. He spoke fondly about his experience and learning Navy life. He shared, “where I came from, it was a sweet deal, it was hard for a lot of guys to adjust to the upper classmen being harsh on them…I had an older brother who was hard on me…having had the older brother experience, the academy was an easier adjustment…I liked it.” During the fall, winter, and spring, Lieutenant Webb reflected on the academic rigor of academy life and learning leadership roles. During the summer months, he would put those lessons to use in a variety of ways and broaden his learning and understanding of life as an officer. His first summer was spent on the guided missile cruiser, USS Columbus. He recalled, “to see a massive, guided missile cruiser…it was very organized, the size, the complexity.” On the USS Columbus, he learned and experienced a number of different jobs which would expose midshipmen to the roles of the men they would one day be leading. The following summer he would experience a number of different service options. These options included the Submarine Service, the Marines, amphibious craft, and Naval Aviation. His final summer was spent on the destroyer, William R. Rush and visited Northern Europe, including England and Norway. While returning home, the crew of the William R. Rush, detected a Soviet Submarine which exposed Lieutenant Webb to the realities of the Cold War and the capabilities of the ship, men, and equipment. Lieutenant Webb enjoyed destroyer life and after graduation, had the opportunity to select his first assignment. He recalled, “I picked the Lloyd Thomas and boy, what a lucky choice that was. The Lloyd Thomas needed a CIC Officer, and the Navy sent me to Anti-Submarine Warfare School.” In addition to this exciting news, Lieutenant Webb had also gotten married days after graduation day. Once he completed Anti-Submarine Warfare School, he was sent to join the USS Lloyd Thomas which was on a WestPac cruise, supporting United States Naval Operations during the Vietnam War.

After receiving his commission and completing Anti-Submarine School, Lieutenant Webb was off to war. He joined the USS Lloyd Thomas in the Philippines. The next day, the USS Lloyd Thomas reported to the gunline and provided gunfire support to Marines on shore, battling the North Vietnamese. Lieutenant Webb was assigned to lead the CIC and specifically the OI Division. He spoke admirably of the capabilities of the Petty Officers of the division. The USS Lloyd Thomas’s primary mission was to provide gunfire support and also assist air operations by plane guarding with aircraft carriers in the area. Lieutenant Webb shared detailed memories of his two deployments on the USS Lloyd Thomas and spent time reflecting on the significance of the Battle of Dong Hoi. He shared, “we were assigned to a four-ship task force to bombard a North Vietnamese Airfield in Dong Hoi. There were two FRAM destroyers, the USS Higbee, the USS Lloyd Thomas, our flag ship, the USS Oklahoma City with the Commander of the Seventh Fleet, and a guided missile cruiser, USS Sterett.” The mission would include a larger objective of disrupting North Vietnamese troop and supply movements along Highway One. Lieutenant Webb continued with, “the USS Lloyd Thomas was one of the principals in the only land, air, sea battle, we’ve had since World War Two, and that was Dong Hoi. Very little has ever been published about Dong Hoi, what little is out there is from North Vietnamese sources.” Lieutenant Webb’s description of the battle, including the destruction of the enemy airfield, MIG attack on the USS Higbee, and downing of North Vietnamese aircraft was vivid and shared as if it had occurred yesterday.

Following the attack on the USS Higbee, Lieutenant Webb spoke of a new threat that developed when North Vietnamese missile boats sped towards the USS Lloyd Thomas and USS Sterett. As the missile boats came within range, the North Vietnamese fired two torpedoes towards the American vessels. Watching the events unfold from the CIC on the USS Lloyd Thomas, Lieutenant Webb shared, “there were two torpedo patrol boats coming from the north…we were getting ready to engage with our World War Two systems fire controls…when the Sterett began to fire…the Sterett immediately took out the two missile launches, and then they took out the two missile boats.” The moment marked a surface-to-surface engagement with the latest technology in the arsenal of the United States Navy. Following the engagement, Lieutenant Webb would write an after-action report that would reiterate the key themes of his interview and would serve today as a key resource, reflecting the battle.

Following his sea duty, Lieutenant Webb returned to his roots and became an instructor at the United States Naval Academy and concluded his service in 1978. Lieutenant Webb’s inspiring story from his Naval Academy experiences to vivid accounts of the Battle of Dong Hoi serve as an invaluable testimonial, bringing perspective to significant moments in United States Naval history.

The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, Lieutenant William Webb, featured within this series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at https://www.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service