Robert Penn (October 10, 1872 – June 8, 1912) 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 of ...

sailor and a recipient of America's highest military 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 ...

—for his actions 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 = (cloc ...

Biography

On July 20, 1898, Penn was serving as a Fireman First Class on the off the coast of

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

when a

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

accident occurred. For his actions during the incident, Penn was issued the Medal of Honor five months later, on December 14, 1898. He died in

Las Animas, Colorado Las Animas is the Statutory City that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,410 at the 2010 United States Census. Las Animas i ...

and is interred at Eden Cemetery in

Collingdale, Pennsylvania Collingdale is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 8,908, at the 2020 census. Local governance Donna Matteo-Spadea is the current mayor of Collingdale. Frank Kelly served twelve consecutive four-year terms as Mayor of ...

.Pair of local war heroes receive Medals of Honor
/ref>

Medal of Honor citation

Fireman Penn's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. ''Iowa'' off Santiago de Cuba, 20 July 1898. Performing his duty at the risk of serious
scalding Scalding is a form of thermal burn resulting from heated fluids such as boiling water or steam. Most scalds are considered first- or second-degree burns, but third-degree burns can result, especially with prolonged contact. The term is from the ...
at the time of the blowing out of the
manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft, utility vault, or large vessel. Manholes are often used as an access point for an underground public utility, allowing inspection, ...

gasket Some seals and gaskets A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. It is a deformable material that is used to cr ...
on board the vessel, Penn hauled the fire while standing on a board thrown across a coal bucket 1 foot above the boiling water which was still blowing from the boiler.

Notes

References

: *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Penn, Robert 1872 births 1912 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Eden Cemetery (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors People from the Greater Richmond Region Spanish–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

Notes

References

External links