From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John E. Murphy
John E. Murphy
John Edward Murphy structing navigation. Her crewmen were rescued by the
Spanish and made prisoners-of-war. After the Battle 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 June 15, 1898, while he was still in Spanish cus-
tody, Murphy was promoted to the warrant officer rank
of Boatswain. In October 1898, Murphy was assigned to
Chief Boatswain John E. Murphy the battleship USS Oregon (BB-3), which soon went to the
Born May 3, 1869(1869-05-03)
Asiatic Station. He reported for training duty on board
Ireland USS Pensacola (1859) in September 1901 and several
months later began similar service in USS Constella-
Died April 9, 1941(1941-04-09) (aged 71)
tion (1854). In the Summer of 1903 he was assigned to
Place of burial Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery the armored cruiser USS New York (ACR-2) in the Pacific
San Diego, California Squadron. Murphy was promoted to Chief Boatswain on
Allegiance
June 15, 1904. For his last tour, he served in USS Buffa-
United States of America
lo (1892), also in the Pacific, and was placed on the retired
Service/branch list on August 1, 1905.
United States Navy Chief Boatswain John Edward Murphy died at age 71
Years of service to 1905 and was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San
Diego, California. His grave can be found in the officer’s
Rank Chief Boatswain section, grave 363 GPS (lat/lon): 32.41418, -117.14673.
Unit USS Iowa (BB-4)
USS Merrimac (1894)
USS Oregon (BB-3) Medal of Honor citation
USS Pensacola (1859) Coxswain Murphy’s official Medal of Honor citation
USS Constellation (1854)
USS New York (ACR-2)
reads:
USS Buffalo (1892)
In connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. Mer-
Battles/wars Spanish-American War rimac at the entrance to the harbor of Santiago
*Sinking of the Merrimac
de Cuba, 2 June 1898. Despite heavy fire from the
Awards Medal of Honor Spanish shore batteries, Murphy displayed extraor-
dinary heroism throughout this operation.
John Edward Murphy (May 3, 1869 – April 9, 1941) was
a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America’s
highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his
See also
actions in the Spanish-American War. • List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the
Spanish–American War
Biography
Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Navy from New York and
served in the battleship USS Iowa (BB-4) as a coxswain
References
during the Spanish-American War. Coxswain Murphy • This article incorporates public domain material from
was one of eight volunteer crew members of the collier websites or documents of the Naval History & Heritage
USS Merrimac (1898), which Rear Admiral William T. Command.
Sampson ordered sunk to block the entrance of Santiago • "John E. Murphy". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor
Harbor, Cuba. On the night of June 2/3, 1898, during the recipients. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/
attempt to execute this mission, Merrimac’s steering gear cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9723. Retrieved
was disabled by enemy gunfire, and she sank without ob- 2008-10-26.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John E. Murphy
• "US People - Murphy, John E., Chief Boatswain". Short descrip- United States Navy Medal of Honor
Online Library. Naval History & Heritage Command. tion recipient
2006-05-03. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/
Date of birth May 3, 1869
pers-us/uspers-m/j-murphy.htm. Retrieved
2006-12-04. Place of birth Ireland
Persondata Date of death April 9, 1941
Name Murphy, John Edward Place of death
Alternative
names
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_E._Murphy&oldid=470215293"
Categories:
• 1869 births
• 1941 deaths
• 19th-century Irish people
• Irish sailors
• Navy Medal of Honor recipients
• Spanish–American War prisoners of war
• American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
• United States Navy officers
• American people of Irish descent
• American prisoners of war
• Foreign born Medal of Honor recipients
• Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery
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