John Enright

He jumped overboard and rescued two shipmates from drowning.

John Enright was born on July 2, 1864, in Lynn, Massachusetts. He served in the U.S. Navy as a landsman aboard USS Ranger.

On January 18, 1886, off Ensenada, Mexico, Enright jumped overboard to rescue ordinary seamen John Bell and George Svensson from drowning. That successful lifesaving action earned him the Medal of Honor.

His later service included the steamer Albatross. In December 1889, a small supply boat carrying Enright and other men overturned near Vallejo, California, after becoming entangled with another vessel's anchor chain. Enright attempted to save a civilian newspaper seller who could not swim. Both drowned. His remains were recovered nearly a month later and buried at Mare Island Cemetery in Vallejo.

Enright's award and final rescue attempt preserve the record of a sailor who repeatedly acted to help others in the water, ultimately losing his life while trying to save another.

Official Medal of Honor citation: On board the U.S.S. Ranger off Ensenada, Mexico, 18 January 1886. Jumping overboard from that vessel, Enright rescued John Bell, ordinary seaman, and George Svensson, ordinary seaman, from drowning.