Charles H. Willey

Charles H. Willey and the loss of USS Memphis

Charles Henry Willey (31 March 1889 – 11 September 1977) was a U.S. Navy machinist whose Medal of Honor recognized his actions during the loss of the armored cruiser USS Memphis off Santo Domingo City on 29 August 1916. Born in East Boston, Massachusetts, he enlisted in the Navy in 1908 and was appointed a machinist in 1914. By 1916, he was serving in the ship’s engineering department while Memphis operated in the Caribbean.

On the afternoon of 29 August, unexpectedly large waves struck the cruiser at anchor. The ship was dragged toward shore and battered in shallow water; water poured into the engineering spaces and steam lines and boilers ruptured. Willey remained at his station among scalding steam and flooding as long as the engines could run, leaving only when ordered. After the boilers exploded, he helped remove sailors from the fire room and carry them into the engine room, where they could breathe. The ship was wrecked, 43 sailors died, and many more were injured. Willey was severely scalded and hospitalized; a contemporary newspaper account later reported that he remained unconscious for nearly three months and took 18 months to recover.

Willey hoped to return to sea but was medically retired from the Navy in 1917. Sixteen years after the disaster, he received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession. He was presented the medal at the Portsmouth Navy Yard on 19 August 1932. Two other sailors from Memphis also received the award for their conduct that day: Lieutenant Claud Ashton Jones and Chief Machinist’s Mate George William Rud, who died in the incident. Willey later lived in East Concord, New Hampshire, worked at a poultry farm, and wrote technical and mechanical articles. He died in Manchester and was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery, Concord.

Naval historians describe the waves as tsunami-like, while the 1932 award citation called the event a hurricane. The Navy’s later investigation attributed the destructive swells to a tropical disturbance that had passed south of the area the previous night, without the wind or other signs of severe weather normally associated with a hurricane.

### Medal of Honor citation

> For extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession while serving on board the U.S.S. Memphis, at a time when that vessel was suffering total destruction from a hurricane while anchored off Santo Domingo City, 29 August 1916. Machinist Willey took his station in the engineer’s department and remained at his post of duty amidst scalding steam and the rush of thousands of tons of water into his department as long as the engines would turn, leaving only when ordered to leave. When the boilers exploded, he assisted in getting the men out of the fireroom and carrying them into the engineroom, where there was air instead of steam to breathe. Machinist Willey’s conduct on this occasion was above and beyond the call of duty.

### Sources

1. U.S. Department of War, “Medal of Honor Monday: Navy Machinist Charles Willey,” 29 August 2022: service, shipwreck, injuries, recovery, later life, award presentation, and burial. [Department of War account](https://www.war.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3138309/medal-of-honor-monday-navy-machinist-charles-willey/). 2. Naval History and Heritage Command, “Memphis (Armored Cruiser No. 10),” ship history: loss of the vessel, Navy investigations, and the three Medal of Honor recipients. [Ship history](https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/ships-of-steam/memphis.html). 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “Charles H. Willey,” recipient record and official citation. [Recipient record](https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/charles-h-willey). 4. U.S. Navy, Naval History and Heritage Command, “1915–16 Medal of Honor Recipients,” official record of the award and full citation. [Navy record](https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/awards/decorations/medal-of-honor/1915-16-medal-of-honor-recipients.html).