Mons Monssen

He entered a burning magazine to prevent a deadly explosion.

Mons Monssen was born at Bergen, Norway, on 20 January 1867. After coming to the United States, he enlisted in the Navy in June 1889. He made the service his career and became a chief gunner's mate.

On 13 April 1904, Monssen was serving in the battleship Missouri during target practice when a propellant charge ignited in a twelve-inch gun turret. Fire spread into the ammunition-handling spaces, killing men and threatening the ship's magazines.

Monssen went through the scuttle into the burning magazine. Before a hose could be passed to him, he used water with his hands to fight the flames. He remained at the task despite the danger that ammunition would explode around him. His intervention helped prevent the fire from destroying the ship.

The Navy awarded him the Medal of Honor for his conduct. In May 1904 he also became a warrant gunner, continuing the progression from enlisted specialist into commissioned responsibility. He advanced to chief gunner in 1910.

Monssen remained on active service during the First World War and became a lieutenant in 1918. His career continued into the postwar Navy before his retirement on 15 December 1925. He died in Brooklyn on 10 February 1930 and was buried in Cypress Hills National Cemetery.

The Navy subsequently named two destroyers Monssen in his honour. His widow sponsored the launch of the first in 1940. Both ships connected later generations of sailors with the Norwegian-born gunner who had entered an ammunition space on fire to protect the lives of his shipmates.