Michael Deneef (1851–1891) was a
United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor.
[
]
Biography
Born in 1851 in Massachusetts, Deneef joined the Navy from that state as an apprentice boy.captain of the top
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 superior ...
on the . On the morning of December 1, 1875, ''Swatara'' was anchored in a harbor of Pará, Brazil, when the ship's dinghy capsized. A strong tidal current swept the dinghy backwards from the side of the ship, where it had first capsized. One of the dinghy's crew initially grabbed onto the small boat, but then lost his grip and began to sink. Deneef jumped overboard from ''Swataras gangway, swam to the drowning man, and dragged him back to the dinghy, where they were later picked up by a cutter
Cutter may refer to:
Tools
* Bolt cutter
* Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife
* Cigar cutter
* Cookie cutter
* Glass cutter
* Meat cutter
* Milling cutter
* Paper cutter
* Side cutter
* Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...
. For this action, Deneef was awarded the Medal of Honor a month later, on January 18, 1876.
Medal of Honor citation
Deneef's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
On board the U.S.S. ''Swatara'' at Para, Brazil, 1 December 1875. Displaying gallant conduct, Deneef jumped overboard and rescued one of the crew of that vessel from drowning.
See also
* List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deneef, Michael
1851 births
1891 deaths
Military personnel from Dedham, Massachusetts
United States Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor