Johannes Rouning

He leapt from a Navy tug and saved a shipmate from drowning.

Johannes Rouning, also recorded as Johannes Ronning, was born in Norway on June 19, 1859. He served in the U.S. Navy as an ordinary seaman aboard the tug Fortune.

On May 7, 1882, at Hampton Roads, Virginia, Rouning jumped overboard to rescue gunner's mate James Walters from drowning. His Medal of Honor citation recognizes that successful lifesaving action. It does not describe how Walters entered the water or provide further details about the conditions of the rescue.

Rouning's award was not posthumous. The cited official recipient record does not supply his death date or burial place, and the chronology of his later service remains unconfirmed. His place in the Medal of Honor record preserves a clear act of devotion to a fellow sailor in immediate danger.

Official Medal of Honor citation: 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.