Luovi Halling

He jumped into stormy seas to reach a drowning young sailor.

Luovi Halling was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on 7 August 1867. He entered the United States Navy from New York and served aboard USS Boston during the Spanish-American War. The ship's contemporary crew list names him as a seaman at the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898.

He later became a boatswain's mate first class and served aboard the battleship USS Missouri. In September 1904 the ship was conducting exercises off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, when severe weather forced the crew to attend to its dragging anchor.

During the early hours of 15 September, a wave swept Ordinary Seaman Cecil C. Young overboard. Halling and fellow boatswain's mate Alexander Peters jumped into the rough water and tried to reach him. Young drowned before they could bring him to safety. Recovering the two rescuers was itself difficult in the storm.

Both men received the Medal of Honor for the attempt. The award recognised the decision to enter the sea despite the danger and despite the fact that the rescue did not succeed.

Halling survived his naval service. He died in New York on 22 March 1928 and was buried at St Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst. His career linked service at Manila Bay with an act of lifesaving courage in peacetime.

Official Medal of Honor citation:

Serving on board the U.S.S. Missouri, for heroism in attempting to rescue from drowning Cecil C. Young, ordinary seaman, 15 September 1904.