John E. Murphy

Braving shore batteries aboard Merrimac

John Edward Murphy was born in Ireland on May 3, 1869. He served in the U.S. Navy as a coxswain assigned to USS Iowa and took part in the Merrimac operation during the Spanish-American War.

On June 3, 1898, at the entrance to Santiago de Cuba's harbor, Murphy participated in the sinking of USS Merrimac under heavy fire from Spanish shore batteries. His Medal of Honor citation recognizes extraordinary heroism throughout that operation without assigning a particular individual maneuver to him.

The award was accredited to New York and was not posthumous. Murphy died on April 9, 1941, and was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California. His award preserves the record of a sailor who faced concentrated shore fire during an exceptionally hazardous harbor operation.

Official Medal of Honor citation: In connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. Merrimac at the entrance to the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, 3 June 1898. Despite heavy fire from the Spanish shore batteries, Murphy displayed extraordinary heroism throughout this operation.