- John E. Murphy
Infobox Military Person
name=John Edward Murphy
born= birth date|1869|5|3
died= death date and age|1941|4|9|1869|5|3
placeofbirth=Ireland
placeofdeath=
placeofburial=Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery San Diego, California
caption=Chief Boatswain John E. Murphy
nickname=
allegiance=flag|United States of America
branch=
serviceyears=to 1905
rank=Chief Boatswain
commands=
unit=USS "Iowa" (BB-4) USS "Merrimac" USS "Oregon" (BB-3) USS "Pensacola" USS "Constellation" USS "New York" (ACR-2) USS "Buffalo"
battles=Spanish-American War
awards=Medal of Honor
laterwork=John Edward Murphy (
3 May 1869 –9 April 1941 ) was aUnited States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—theMedal of Honor —for his actions in theSpanish-American War .Biography
Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Navy from
New York and served in thebattleship "Iowa" as a coxswain during the Spanish-American War. Coxswain Murphy was one of eight volunteer crew members of the collier "Merrimac", which Rear AdmiralWilliam T. Sampson ordered sunk to block the entrance ofSantiago Harbor ,Cuba . On the night of 2-3 June 1898, during the attempt to execute this mission, "Merrimac"'s steering gear was disabled by enemy gunfire, and she sank without obstructing navigation. Her crewmen were rescued by the Spanish and made prisoners-of-war. After theBattle of Santiago de Cuba destroyed the Spanish fleet a month later, Murphy and his shipmates were released. For their part in this operation, all eight men were awarded Medals of Honor.On
15 June 1898 , while he was still in Spanish custody, Murphy was promoted to the warrant officer rank ofBoatswain . In October 1898, Murphy was assigned to the battleship "Oregon", which soon went to theAsiatic Station . He reported for training duty on board USS "Pensacola" in September 1901 and several months later began similar service in USS "Constellation". In the Summer of 1903 he was assigned to thearmored cruiser "New York" in thePacific Squadron . Murphy was promoted to Chief Boatswain on15 June 1904 . For his last tour, he served in USS "Buffalo", also in the Pacific, and was placed on the retired list on1 August 1905 .Chief Boatswain John Edward Murphy died at age 71 and was buried at
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery ,San Diego, California .Medal of Honor citation
Coxswain Murphy's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
In connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. "Merrimac" at the entrance to the harbor of
Santiago de Cuba , 2 June 1898. Despite heavy fire from the Spanish shore batteries, Murphy displayed extraordinary heroism throughout this operation.ee also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish-American War References
:NHC
*cite web
publisher = Naval Historical Center
title = US People - Murphy, John E., Chief Boatswain
work = Online Library
date =2006-05-03
url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-m/j-murphy.htm
accessdate = 2006-12-04
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.