Charles S. Schepke

Charles Stephen Schepke was a U.S. Navy gunner’s mate first class aboard USS Missouri in 1904. His Medal of Honor recognized his role in fighting a fire in the ship’s after turret during target practice off Pensacola, Florida. The blaze threatened a magazine containing smokeless powder and put the battleship and its crew in danger of a catastrophic explosion.

### Fighting the magazine fire

An accident in the after turret on 13 April 1904 killed five officers and 28 enlisted men. As fire spread toward the thin copper tanks holding smokeless powder in a 12-inch magazine, Schepke remained near the burning magazine and helped extinguish the flames. His prompt action, alongside fellow gunner’s mates Robert E. Cox and Mons Monssen, brought the fire under control and prevented the loss of USS Missouri and the rest of its crew. All three men received the Medal of Honor.

Born in New York City in 1878, Schepke served in the Navy and later reached the rank of lieutenant. President Theodore Roosevelt presented his Medal of Honor in May 1904. Schepke died in Brooklyn in 1933 and was buried in Lutheran Cemetery in Middle Village, New York.

### Medal of Honor citation

“For extraordinary heroism while serving on the U.S.S. Missouri in remaining by a burning magazine and assisting in extinguishing the fire, 13 April 1904.”

### Sources

- Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “Charles Stephen Schepke,” recipient record, citation and archival account. - U.S. Navy General Order No. 43, 14 April 1921, account of the USS Missouri magazine fire and the actions of Schepke, Robert E. Cox and Mons Monssen. - Naval History and Heritage Command, “1901–1910 Medal of Honor Recipients,” Charles S. Schepke entry. - Theodore Roosevelt Center, memorandum to the Department of the Navy concerning Charles S. Schepke’s heroism.