Peacetime Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award for his actions as a landsman on board the armored cruiser/2nd-class battleship USS Maine on February 6-7, 1897, off the coast of North Carolina. The USS Maine was part of six-ship squadron that departed Hampton Roads, Virginia on February 4, 1897 bound for Charleston, South Carolina, when the fleet encountered a winter storm. When a large wave washed two seamen off the deck of the USS Maine, a lifebuoy was thrown to them and Creelman jumped in the sea to come to their aid. One of the seamen was swept under but Creelman managed to reach the other and they held on to the lifebuoy for over three hours before the storm subsided and they were rescued. He was later commissioned as a lieutenant before being discharged from the US Navy. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 3, 1874 and died there at the age of 53. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Landsman William James Creelman, United States Navy, for gallant and heroic conduct while attached to the U.S.S. Maine, 7 February 1897. Distinguishing himself, Landsman Creelman showed extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during an attempt to save life at sea."
Peacetime Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award for his actions as a landsman on board the armored cruiser/2nd-class battleship USS Maine on February 6-7, 1897, off the coast of North Carolina. The USS Maine was part of six-ship squadron that departed Hampton Roads, Virginia on February 4, 1897 bound for Charleston, South Carolina, when the fleet encountered a winter storm. When a large wave washed two seamen off the deck of the USS Maine, a lifebuoy was thrown to them and Creelman jumped in the sea to come to their aid. One of the seamen was swept under but Creelman managed to reach the other and they held on to the lifebuoy for over three hours before the storm subsided and they were rescued. He was later commissioned as a lieutenant before being discharged from the US Navy. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 3, 1874 and died there at the age of 53. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Landsman William James Creelman, United States Navy, for gallant and heroic conduct while attached to the U.S.S. Maine, 7 February 1897. Distinguishing himself, Landsman Creelman showed extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during an attempt to save life at sea."
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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