George Cregan (December 11, 1885 – June 30, 1969) was a lieutenant commander 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 ...

. He was a recipient of both the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

and 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 ...

Biography

Cregan enlisted in the United States Navy in 1907 and served for 40 years, serving on board over 30 different vessels. He was a recipient of the

, the nation's highest military award for valor, for his role in the

United States occupation of Veracruz The Battle of Veracruz was a military conflict between the United States and Mexico that took place in the Mexican port city of Veracruz between April 21 to November 23, 1914. The incident occurred in the midst of poor diplomatic relations be ...

when he was a

coxswain The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

assigned to the battleship USS ''Florida''. He received the

for his participation in the March 1928 salvage operation of the submarine

USS S-4 USS ''S-4'' (SS-109) was an United States S-class submarine, S-class submarine of the United States Navy. In 1927, she was sunk by being accidentally rammed by a United States Coast Guard destroyer with the loss of all hands but was raised and r ...

while commanding officer of the tugboat USS ''Sagamore''. Cregan was promoted to the

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

rank of boatswain on March 15, 1920, chief boatswain on February 20, 1924, and to lieutenant on March 1, 1943. He was promoted to lieutenant commander upon his retirement from the Navy on March 1, 1947. He died June 30, 1969, and is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. His grave can be found in section 46, lot 1066.

Awards

* Good Conduct Medal *

Mexican Service Medal The Mexican Service Medal was an award of the United States military for service in Mexico from 1911 to 1919. History The Mexican Service Medal awarded by the Army was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December ...

* World War I Victory Medal *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a United States service medals of the World Wars, military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recogniz ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal was a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. Histo ...

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Place and date: On board the U.S.S. Florida, at Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914. Entered service at: New York. Born: 11 December 1885, New York, N.Y. G.O. No.: 101, 15 June 1914. Citation:

On board the U.S.S. Florida, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914. Cregan was ashore when he volunteered for an assault detail under Ens. George Maus Lowry on the Vera Cruz Customhouse under enemy fire both in the alley between the customhouse and warehouse and the assault over objective's walls. During the move up the alley, he tended a wounded comrade, J. F. Schumaker, holding a compress with one hand and firing with the other.

Navy Cross citation

Rank and organization: Chief Boatswain, U.S. Navy. Action date: December 17, 1927 - March 17, 1928. Company: Submarine and Rescue Salvage Unit. Division: U.S.S. Sagamore. Citation:

For distinguished service to the Government of the United States in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. SAGAMORE throughout the salvage operations of the Submarine S-4, sunk as a result of a collision off Provincetown, Massachusetts, on 17 December 1927. the skillful handling of the SAGAMORE together with the excellent judgment, zeal, efficiency and untiring devotion to duty of her Commanding Officer, was an important factor in the final success of the operations. Chief Boatswain Cregan's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

References

: * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cregan, George 1880s births 1969 deaths United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy sailors Military personnel from New York City Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy personnel of World War II Battle of Veracruz (1914) recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Awards

Medal of Honor citation

Navy Cross citation

See also

References