Lauritz Nelson (March 26, 1860 – September 16, 1944) was a sailor serving in the
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 ...
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 = (cl ...
who received 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 bravery.
Biography
Nelson was born March 26, 1860, in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and entered the US navy in 1885. Later he was sent to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the torpedo boat as a sailmaker's mate.
Lauritz retired from the navy in 1905 with the rank of Chief Boatswain's Mate.
Service Profile
/ref> He died September 16, 1944, and is buried at Long Island National Cemetery
Long Island National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Suffolk County, New York. It is surrounded by a group of other separate cemeteries and memorial parks situated along Wellwood Avenue (County Road 3) – these include Pi ...
in Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census.
The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of ...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sailmaker's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 26 March 1860, Norway. G.O. No.: 521, 7 July 1899.
Citation:
On board the U.S.S. Nashville during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Nelson displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.
See also
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War ( es, Guerra Hispano-Estadounidense, ''desastre del 98'', ''Guerra Hispano-Cubana-Norteamericana'' or ''Guerra de Cuba '') was a military conflict between Spain and the United States that began in April 1898. Hostiliti ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Lauritz
1860 births
1944 deaths
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
United States Navy sailors
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
Norwegian emigrants to the United States
Norwegian-born Medal of Honor recipients
Spanish–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor