Stephen Thomas (naval officer)

Lieutenant-Commander Stephen Harrison-Thomas, (born 1961), born Stephen Thomas, is a retired British Royal Navy officer who flew the Sea Harrier Fighter, Reconnaissance, Strike aircraft to service with 801 Naval Air Squadron during the Falklands War.

Early life
Thomas was born in Yorkshire in 1961. In May 1978, he underwent various tests and examinations at the Aircrew Selection Centre, at RAF Biggin Hill, along with further tests and interviews at HMS Daedalus, and interviews at the Admiralty Interview Board, HMS Sultan (shore establishment). He joined Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in October 1978 as an officer under training with the rank of Midshipman.

Military career
After basic flying training he completed his training with the Fleet Air Arm on the Bae Hawk at RAF Valley and #Two-seatHarrier T4. He then joined 801 Naval Air Squadron and flew the Sea Harrier FRS1 from the deck of HMS Invincible (R05).

Falklands war
After recently graduating the Operational Flying Training Unit at 899 Naval Air Squadron, embarked in HMS Invincible on 3 April 1982 joining 801 Naval Air Squadron commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Nigel "Sharkey" Ward.

On the morning of May 1, 1982, the radar officer was reporting echoes closing fast. Lieutenant Paul Barton with Steve Thomas flying as wingman, flying CAP, painted six Mirages at about 35,000 feet, but the six declined to come down to fight, and the Sea Harriers would not be lured up to where the French fighter was most dangerous. The two sides skirmished throughout the day until Barton scored with a Sidewinder that shattered everything aft of one Mirage's cockpit. Wingman Steven Thomas fired at and crippled a second Mirage just as it entered cloud. The pilot limped toward Port Stanley, where Argentine guns shot him down.

On May 21, 1982, Thomas' commander, Lieutenant-Commander Ward, was leading a division of three aircraft launched to carry out Combat Air Patrol over the Falkland Sound, southwest of San Carlos Water with the other aircraft flown by Steve Thomas and Alisdair Craig. Two Pucaras operating from Goose Green at low level were detected by the air defence controller in HMS Brilliant. The three Sea Harriers were in the climb en route Invincible when they were vectored towards the Pucaras. One of the Pucaras was attacked from abeam by the two Sea Harriers flown by Steve Thomas and Alisdair Craig but evaded being hit. Simultaneously, Ward attacked Major Carlos Tomba's aircraft from behind with his cannon, setting the starboard engine on fire and damaging the port aileron. He immediately re-attacked hitting the fuselage and port engine. In his third and final run flying as low as 10 feet above the ground, he destroyed the cockpit canopy and upper fuselage. Tomba ejected from the Pucara at very low-level before the aircraft crashed north-west of Drone Hill. Tomba was unhurt and walked back to Goose Green.

Later that same day Ward, and his wingman, Steve Thomas, were carrying out a low-level combat air patrol to the West of San Carlos over the land. Whilst in a turn, Ward sighted two Argentine Air Force Mirage V "Dagger"s approaching from the West at very low level. They were on their way to attack the landing force in San Carlos Water. He flew between them head on and then turned hard to engage them in combat. The Daggers also turned hard but not towards their target. They were running for home. This placed them in front of Thomas's Sea Harrier and he shot them down with two Sidewinder missiles. Meanwhile, a third unseen Dagger was firing its cannon from behind Ward's aircraft at him but missed. Ward turned on the Dagger and shot him down with a Sidewinder. Whist this dog fight was going on, a fourth Dagger had evaded intercept and had attacked the air defence control ship Brilliant: fortunately with little damage. The three Dagger pilots, Major Piuma, Captain Donadille and Lieutenant Senn, ejected safely. “As we reached Port Howard we went on either side of the settlement, to avoid the Argentine troop positions there but I must have flown over one of the outlying machine gun posts because suddenly I saw small orange flashes coming past me. A split second later there was the sound of a ‘thump’ on the radio and at the same time one of my fuel pumps failed. Both of my radios were out. When I reached the carrier I went into the hover and there was the Flight Deck Officer in his yellow jacket pointing at the spot on which I was to land. After I landed I found the aircraft had been hit in the avionics compartment at the rear by three .5in armour piercing rounds. Two had gone clean through the fuselage and come out the top, one had lodged in the TACAN control box. From the direction in which the bullets hit, the enemy machine gun must have been almost exactly underneath me.”

On the 1st June, 1982, Steve Thomas and Ward were in the climb returning to Invincible after combat air patrol when they were alerted by HMS Minerva to an intermittent radar contact 40 miles to the northwest. Ward immediately led Thomas in a hard turn towards the reported contact position and detected a large aircraft target on his Blue Fox radar, at 38 miles and 4,000 feet below. He immediately took charge of the intercept and tracked the target turning towards Argentina and descending. At high speed, the two Sea Harriers closed in on the target and, as he emerged through the low cloud, Ward became visual with a four-engined Lockheed C-130 Hercules at 200 feet above the sea. Short of fuel for the return to Invincible, immediate action was required. Ward's first AIM-9L Sidewinder missile fell just short of the C-130, but the second started a fire between the inner and outer starboard engines. Ward then fired 240 rounds from his Harrier's two ADEN cannons and this action caused the enemy aircraft to lose control, sending it crashing into the sea and killing the seven crew members.

Thomas flew over fifty war missions, achieved three air-to-air kills, and took part in or witnessed a total of ten kills; and was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry Stephen was the only British pilot to shoot down three fast jets in the conflict, yet he was one of the least experienced Sea harrier pilots with less than 200 hours on the type.

After the Falklands War

Thomas subsequently served at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down as a test pilot until 1988.These trials and tests were critical in developing and refining new aircraft and weapon systems, as well as in improving the capabilities of existing ones. The AAEE at Boscombe Down played a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness and safety of British military aviation during this period.

Later life
Stephen retired from the Royal Navy in 1989 with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander Upon retiring from the Navy in 1989, Harrison-Thomas embarked on a civilian aviation career, starting as a First Officer and then becoming Captain at Air UK, a regional airline. He flew the BAe 146 Regional Jetliner on European routes from Manchester and later operated Boeing 737-400 for Air UK Leisure from Luton Airport. After KLM bought Air UK, he moved to the Netherlands and served as a Captain on Boeing 767-300 ER on South American routes.

Honours and awards

 * 8 October 1982 – Distinguished Service Cross for gallant and distinguished service in the South Atlantic: