DOB/DOD: April 2, 1922 (New York, NY) – October 18, 1944; 22 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Parsonage Lane, Greenwich
SERVICE NUMBER: Unknown
FAMILY: Born to Herman S. (1884-1959) and Dorothy V. Lynch Crossman (1899-1988). Two sisters, Jeanette K. (1918-1989) and Doris Crossman Barton (1920-2013). One twin brother, George W. [U.S. Army veteran 1942-1945] (1922-1996).
The Thacher School, Ojai, California, Class of 1940
Plaque at the Thacher School in honor of those who gave their lives in WWII
Harvard University, Class of ’45 yearbook
CIRCUMSTANCES: USAT ST-720, a small harbor tug, foundered in the Atlantic. Founder means taking on water and being unable to go on. [the rest is from ssarkansan.com] Specifically, ST-720 capsized at 0500, Smith Shipyards, Pensacola, Florida. Winds were in excess of 60mph, and seas were 40-50 feet. The USS John J. Powers (DE-528) saved 4:
Buswell, Charles – SM2c
Forbes, Robert – Oiler
Lamude, Frederick – 1st Engineer
O’Leary, Michael – A.B.
7 crew lost:
Crossman, Richard Terrence – Chief Mate
McFarlane, James – A.B.
Moran, Stephen R. – A.B.
Scrivener, James E. – Chief Engineer
Sutcliffe, Thomas – A.B.
Thrasyvoulos, Joannides – Cargo Officer
Wallace, Edward A. – Master
From The Daily Item (Port Chester, NY) on December 16, 1944
LT CROSSMAN WAS DROWNED IN EUROPE
The spreading offensive against the German forces today had claimed the life of another Greenwich man, First Lieutenant Richard T. Crossman, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman S. Crossman, of Round Hill Road. Lieutenant Crossman met his death by drowning “somewhere in the European theater” on October 18. Confirmation of the tragedy was received by the parents from Major General J. A. Ulio, adjutant general.
A twin brother, Corporal George W. Crossman, is serving with the Army Air Forces in Pueblo, Colorado. Lieutenant Crossman also leaves two sisters, Lieutenant Jeannette K. Crossman, WAVES, and Mrs. C. Sidney Barton, whose husband, a Navy Lieutenant, is serving in the South Pacific.
Lieutenant Crossman was enrolled in Harvard University when he enlisted in the Merchant Marines in 1942. He transferred to the Army Transport Service last May.