Ludwig Andreas Olsen (1845 – February 20, 1886), also known as Louis Williams, was a United States Navy sailor and one of only 19 people to ever be awarded two

Medals 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. Th ...

. Both awards were for non-combat actions rescuing fellow seamen.

Biography

Olsen was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1845. He joined the Navy from California in 1870,Profile
/ref> under the name Louis Williams. He eventually achieved the rank of

Captain of the Hold A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superi ...

, an enlisted position that placed him in charge of keeping order in the ship's hold. On 16 March 1883, aboard the screw

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

off Honolulu, Hawaii, Olsen jumped overboard and saved a fellow sailor from drowning. The next year, on 13 June 1884 off the coast of

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

, Peru, Olsen again saved a man from drowning, along with Ordinary Seaman

Isaac L. Fasseur Isaac Laurens Fasseur (1859 – after 1900) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Biography Born in 1859 in Flushing, Netherlands to Elisabeth Odem and the sailor I ...

. For each of these peace-time actions he was awarded a Medal of Honor; Fasseuer also received the medal for the 1884 rescue. Both medals were presented to Olsen on 18 October 1884, making him one of only 19 people to receive two Medals of Honor and one of only 14 people to receive two Medals of Honor for two separate acts. Both medals were awarded under the name he had enlisted with, Louis Williams. Olsen's awards were for peace-time actions; it can be argued that today he would be awarded the

Navy and Marine Corps Medal The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The medal was established by an act of Congr ...

. Olsen died on 20 February 1886 and is buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Section 6, Grave 12616, in Brooklyn, New York City,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Medal of Honor citations

First Citation:

For jumping overboard from the U.S.S. Lackawanna, 16 March 1883, at Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, and rescuing from drowning Thomas Moran, landsman.

Second Citation:

Serving on board the U.S.S. Lackawanna, Williams rescued from drowning William Cruise, who had fallen overboard at Callao, Peru, 13 June 1884.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Ludwig Andreas 1845 births 1886 deaths United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors Norwegian-born Medal of Honor recipients Burials at Cypress Hills National Cemetery Norwegian emigrants to the United States Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor Double Recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citations

See also

References

External links