John Costello (c. 1850–1887) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Biography

Born in about 1850 in

Rouses Point, New York Rouses Point is a village in Clinton County, New York, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Jacques Rouse, a French Canadian soldier who fought alongside the Americans d ...

, Costello joined the Navy while living in that state. By July 16, 1876, he was serving as an

ordinary seaman __NOTOC__ An ordinary seaman (OS) is a member of the deck department of a ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an able seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount o ...

on the . On that day, while ''Hartford'' was in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, he rescued a shipmate who was a landsman from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor eleven days later, on July 27. Costello's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. ''Hartford'', Philadelphia, Pa., 16 July 1876. Showing gallantry, Costello rescued from drowning a landsman of that vessel.

Chief Boatswain John Costello

On 7 November 1888 there was a John Costello who was appointed as a boatswain (

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

) in the U.S. Navy. It is possible, but undetermined, if he was the same John Costello who earned the Medal of Honor. He served on the USS ''Oregon'' at the time of her historic cruise around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. Boatswain Costello was promoted to chief boatswain on 3 March 1899 and retired from the Navy on 24 May 1902. He died on 31 August 1908 in

Wilmington, New York Wilmington is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,253 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the nearby town of Wilmington, Vermont. Wilmington is on the county's northern border and is southwest of Platt ...

.''U.S. Navy Register''. 1909. pg. 192.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, John 1850s births 1887 deaths People from Rouses Point, New York United States Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Chief Boatswain John Costello

See also

References

External links