Christian Osepins

Last updated
Christian Osepins
Native name
Christiaan Osephius [1]
Born4 March 1858 [2]
Schiedam, Netherlands
DiedOctober 8, 1887(1887-10-08) (aged 29) [1]
Place of burial
Cemetery on the Broersvest, Schiedam [1]
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Rank Seaman
Unit USS Fortune
Awards Medal of Honor

Christian Osepins (1858–1887) was a Dutch-born United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

United States Navy Naval warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone, it is larger than the next 13 navies combined, which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, and two new carriers under construction. With 319,421 personnel on active duty and 99,616 in the Ready Reserve, the Navy is the third largest of the service branches. It has 282 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of March 2018, making it the second largest and second most powerful air force in the world.

Medal of Honor United States of Americas highest military honor

The Medal of Honor is the United States of America's highest and most prestigious personal military decoration that may be awarded to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the U.S. Congress. Because the medal is presented "in the name of Congress", it is often referred to informally as the "Congressional Medal of Honor". However, the official name of the current award is "Medal of Honor." Within the United States Code the medal is referred to as the "Medal of Honor", and less frequently as "Congressional Medal of Honor". U.S. awards, including the Medal of Honor, do not have post-nominal titles, and while there is no official abbreviation, the most common abbreviations are "MOH" and "MH".

Contents

Biography

Osepins was born "Christiaan Osephius" in Schiedam to Gerritje Ruigrok and Johannes Osephius. [2] Osephius immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from New York as Christian Osepins. By May 7, 1882, he was serving as a Seaman on the USS Fortune. On that day, while Fortune was at Hampton Roads, Virginia, he and another sailor, Ordinary Seaman Johannes Rouning, jumped overboard and rescued Gunner's Mate James Walters from drowning. [3]

Schiedam City and Municipality in South Holland, Netherlands

Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south it is connected with the village of Pernis by the Beneluxtunnel.

Seaman (rank) Military rank

Seaman is a military rank used in many navies around the world. It is considered a junior enlisted rank and, depending on the navy, it may be a single rank on its own or a name shared by several similarly-junior ranks.

USS <i>Fortune</i> (1865)

USS Fortune was a steam-powered tugboat that served in the United States Navy intermittently from 1871 to 1922. Built in 1865, she was the first ship so named. Fortune was classified as YT-11 on 17 July 1920. Through her lengthy career, she served as a harbor tug, fireboat, cargo transport, training ship, and submarine tender, among other duties.

For this action, both Osepins and Rouning were awarded the Medal of Honor two and a half years later, on October 18, 1884. [3] Osepins had not claimed his medal as of 1898, and the decoration remained in the possession of the Navy Department. [4]

United States Department of the Navy

The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) was established by an Act of Congress on April 30, 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps and, when directed by the President, the United States Coast Guard, as a service within the Department of the Navy, though each remain independent service branches. The Department of the Navy was an Executive Department and the Secretary of the Navy was a member of the President's cabinet until 1949, when amendments to the National Security Act of 1947 changed the name of the National Military Establishment to the Department of Defense and made it an Executive Department. The Department of the Navy then became, along with the Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force, a Military Department within the Department of Defense: subject to the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense.

Osepins's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For jumping overboard from the U.S. Tug Fortune, 7 May 1882, at Hampton Roads, Va., and rescuing from drowning James Walters, gunner's mate. [3]

Osepns died only 3 years later and was buried in his hometown of Schiedam. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 List of peace time Medal of Honors recipients (1871-1898) at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs history site
  2. 1 2 Birthrecord Christiaan Osephius
  3. 1 2 3 "Medal of Honor recipients - Interim Awards, 1871–1898". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. August 5, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Medals awaiting owners". The New York Times . New York. February 7, 1898. Retrieved September 7, 2010.

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