John Handran
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John Handran (1852-1885) 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

Handran was born on Jun 29, 1852 in
Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...
, US.


Career

In December 1873, Handran joined the
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
as a
seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...
. By January 9, 1876, he was serving as a Seaman on the . On that morning, while ''Franklin'' was at
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Landsman Landsman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anne Landsman (born 1959), South African-born female novelist * Jay Landsman, homicide detective and actor from Baltimore, USA * Keren Landsman (born 1977), Israeli epidemiologist ...
Henry O. Neil fell from the ship's lower
boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...
into the water and was swept away by a strong tidal current. Handran and another sailor, Ordinary Seaman
Edward Maddin Edward Maddin (May 15, 1852 – August 15, 1925) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Biography Born on May 15, 1852, in Newfoundland, Maddin joined the Navy from M ...
, jumped overboard and kept Neil afloat until a boat could be sent to their assistance. For this action, both Handran and Maddin were awarded the Medal of Honor a month later, on February 15. In his letter of recommendation, the ship's captain stated that Handran had "displayed the same sort of gallantry on several occasions." Handran's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For gallant conduct while serving on board the U.S.S. ''Franklin'' at Lisbon, Portugal, 9 January 1876. Jumping overboard, Handran rescued from drowning one of the crew of that vessel.


Death

Handran died on December 12, 1885, at age 33 in
Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...
. He was lost at sea aboard the Schooner ''Cleopatra''. He is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester, Massachusetts.


See also

*
List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime Prior to 1963, the Medal of Honor could be awarded for actions not involving direct combat with "an enemy of the United States" or "opposing foreign force (actions against a party in which the U.S. is not directly engaged in war with).DoD Awards ...


References


External links

* * * 1852 births 1885 deaths United States Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor People lost at sea {{US-navy-bio-stub