Thomas Cramen
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cramen was a United States Navy
sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor
.
, Cramen immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from Massachusetts
. By February 7, 1882, he was serving as a boatswain's mate on the training ship . On that day, while Portsmouth was at the Washington Navy Yard
, he and another sailor, Seaman Henry C. Courtney
, jumped overboard and rescued Jack-of-the-Dust Charles Taliaferro from drowning. For this action, both Cramen and Courtney were awarded the Medal of Honor two and a half years later, on October 18, 1884.
Cramen's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
Biography
Born in 1848 in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Cramen immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. By February 7, 1882, he was serving as a boatswain's mate on the training ship . On that day, while Portsmouth was at the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
, he and another sailor, Seaman Henry C. Courtney
Henry C. Courtney
-External links:...
, jumped overboard and rescued Jack-of-the-Dust Charles Taliaferro from drowning. For this action, both Cramen and Courtney were awarded the Medal of Honor two and a half years later, on October 18, 1884.
Cramen's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
On board the U.S.S. Portsmouth, Washington Navy Yard, 7 February 1882. Jumping overboard from that vessel, Cramen rescued Charles Taliaferro, jack-of-the-dust, from drowning.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime