William Ahern (Medal of Honor)

William Ahern (1861 – November 7, 1916) was a sailor in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for valor during an engineering crisis that threatened his ship.

For the Irish politician sometimes known as William Ahern, see Liam Ahern.

William Ahern
Born1861 (1861)
Ireland
DiedNovember 7, 1916(1916-11-07) (aged 54–55) [1]
Brooklyn, New York
Place of burial
Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn[1]
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
RankWatertender
UnitUSS Puritan (BM-1)
AwardsMedal of Honor

Biography

Ahern was born in Ireland in 1861 and entered the Navy in New York. On July 1, 1897, he was serving aboard the USS Puritan as a watertender when the crown sheets on one of her boilers collapsed. Ahern entered the fire room with his face and arms wrapped in wet cloths, crawling over the other boilers to close a valve disconnecting the boiler from the remaining boilers, preventing further damage.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Watertender, U.S. Navy. Born: 1861, Ireland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 482, November 1, 1897.

Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Puritan at the time of the collapse of one of the crown sheets of boiler E of that vessel, 1 July 1897. Wrapped in wet cloths to protect his face and arms, Ahern entered the fireroom, crawled over the tops of the boilers and closed the auxiliary stop valve, disconnecting boiler E and removing the danger of disabling the other boilers.

William O'Hearn

In newspaper reports his name is given as "William O'Hearn": Chicago Tribune June 3, 1898; Oakland Tribune May 20, 1898; New York Times February 6, 1898.[2]

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Medal of Honor recipients Interim 1871-1898. United States Army Center of Military History.

  1. List of peace time Medal of Honors recipients (1871-1898) at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs history site
  2. "Mention of Aherns in Newspaper Stories 1890-1900". Retrieved September 20, 2009.
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