Daniel Atkins

He braved violent seas to rescue sailors from certain danger

Daniel Atkins earned the Medal of Honor by risking his life in a violent sea to save a fellow U.S. Navy sailor. On 11 February 1898, while serving as a Ship's Cook First Class aboard USS Cushing, he entered dangerous waters during an attempted rescue near Cuba. His courage became the defining act of a Navy career spanning more than three decades.

Born on 18 November 1866 in Brunswick County, Virginia, Atkins enlisted in the Navy as a landsman on 27 January 1888. By 1898 he was serving aboard Cushing, the Navy's first torpedo boat, as tensions between the United States and Spain increased.

During a passage from Key West toward Havana on 11 February, heavy seas swept Ensign Joseph C. Breckinridge overboard. Initial rescue efforts failed, and Gunner's Mate John Everetts entered the water to help. Exhausted by the rough conditions, the men remained in grave danger.

Atkins secured a lifeline around himself and voluntarily entered the sea. He helped secure the men for recovery, exposing himself to the same waves that had already overwhelmed the rescuers. The men were brought back aboard Cushing, but Breckinridge could not be revived.

Atkins and Everetts received the Medal of Honor for their gallantry. Atkins's award was authorized by General Order No. 489 on 20 May 1898. The rescue preceded the Spanish-American War and was an act of noncombat maritime lifesaving, rather than an action against Spanish forces.

His subsequent naval service extended through the Spanish-American War and World War I. Campaign and war-service medal eligibility is distinct from documented participation in a particular battle. Although Cushing conducted wartime patrol and courier duties, Atkins's presence during its specific August 1898 actions has not been independently established. His World War I assignments and overseas duties also remain unconfirmed.

Atkins continued through repeated enlistments and ultimately reached Chief Commissary Steward, distinct from the Ship's Cook First Class rating he held during his Medal of Honor action. He retired in October 1921 after more than thirty years of naval service and settled in Portsmouth, Virginia.

He died in Portsmouth on 11 May 1923, aged 56, and was buried in the Captain Ted Conaway Memorial Naval Cemetery. His legacy rests on his willingness to enter a violent sea in an effort to save another sailor's life.