James Benson (Medal of Honor)

He leapt from a moving ship to rescue a sailor from drowning

James Benson earned the Medal of Honor for attempting to rescue a shipmate at sea. Born in Denmark in 1842, he served as a seaman in the U.S. Navy aboard USS Ossipee.

On June 20, 1872, off the coast of Chile, Benson jumped into the sea while the ship was moving at four knots. He sought to save John K. Smith, a landsman from the same vessel, from drowning. The official citation recognizes the risk Benson took and describes his effort without establishing the rescue’s outcome.

Benson received his Medal of Honor in 1872. He died in Boston Harbor on August 4, 1890, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Chelsea, Massachusetts. His award commemorates a sailor’s willingness to enter the sea to aid another man.

Official Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Ossipee, 20 June 1872. Risking his life, Benson leaped into the sea while the ship was going at a speed of four knots and endeavored to save John K. Smith, landsman, of the same vessel, from drowning.