Thomas Cramen
Thomas Cramen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1848 Ireland |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Rank | Boatswain's Mate |
| Unit | USS Portsmouth |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Thomas Cramen (born 1848, date of death unknown) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Biography
Born in 1848 in Ireland, 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 USS Portsmouth. 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.[1]
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.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Medal of Honor recipients - Interim Awards, 1871–1898". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 5, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
External links
- "Thomas Cramen". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- "Thomas Cramen". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved September 6, 2010.