Laddie Stupka

He helped his shipmates survive when their navy tug wrecked.

Laddie Stupka was born at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1878. He enlisted in the United States Navy at New York in 1899 and became a fireman first class, working in the machinery spaces that supplied a steamship's power.

In January 1903 he was aboard the naval tug USS Leyden on its return from Puerto Rico. On 21 January the vessel encountered heavy fog near Block Island, Rhode Island, ran onto rocks and sank. The wreck left the crew facing a dangerous emergency close to the shore.

Stupka survived and was among the sailors recognised for extraordinary heroism during the loss of the ship. The Medal of Honor was issued on 26 December 1903. His citation connected the decoration with his conduct as a professional sailor during the wreck.

His award belonged to the period when the navy could confer the Medal of Honor for lifesaving and exceptional conduct in peacetime emergencies. It commemorated the response of men aboard an endangered vessel rather than an action against an enemy.

Stupka died on 20 February 1946. He was buried in the Distinguished Service section of Baltimore National Cemetery, where his grave identifies his naval rating and Medal of Honor. The cemetery's memorial record and Cleveland's historical encyclopedia preserve his connection with both the city where he was born and the crew of Leyden.