Clarence Frederick Leary (11 January 1894 – 20 July 1918) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Leary was born in

Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and soon immigrated with his family to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. After the US entered World War I, on 12 June 1918 he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve. He was later appointed the Executive Officer of the

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

USS ''Charlton Hall'' (ID-1359), with Lieutenant Commander J. L. Evans,

USNRF The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called ...

, in command of the ship. On 20 July 1918, a fire broke out in the hold of the ''Charlton Hall''. Leary entered the burning hold in order to save crewmen who were trapped there. He died hours later of burns and smoke inhalation. Lieutenant Clarence F. Leary was posthumously awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his self-sacrificing valor.

Namesakes

Two ships, USS ''Leary'', were named for him.

References

: 1894 births 1918 deaths Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy officers Deaths by smoke inhalation American military personnel killed in World War I People from Fowey British emigrants to the United States Deaths from fire in the United States {{US-navy-bio-stub