Richard Ryan (c. 1851–1933) was a
United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor.
Biography
Born in about 1851 in
Waterbury, Connecticut, Ryan joined the Navy from that state.
By March 4, 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 morning, while ''Hartford'' was at
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, Landsman James Mullen fell from a gun port into the water. Mullen, who could not swim, was being swept away by a strong tidal current. Ryan jumped overboard, swam to the drowning crewman, and kept him afloat until they were rescued by the ship's
launch. For this action, he received the Medal of Honor weeks later, on March 23.
Ryan's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Hartford'', Ryan displayed gallant conduct in jumping overboard at Norfolk, Va., and rescuing from drowning one of the crew of that vessel, 4 March 1876.
Ryan died in 1933 at
Sailors' Snug Harbor Hospital,
Staten Island, New York, after being admitted on and off for over 30 years. He is buried in Old Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Waterbury, Connecticut.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime
References
External links
*
1850s births
1933 deaths
United States Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor
Military personnel from Connecticut
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