Philip B. Keefer

Hauling fires from Iowa's steam-filled fireroom

Philip Bogan Keefer was born on 4 September 1875 in Washington, District of Columbia. He served as a coppersmith in the United States Navy aboard USS Iowa.

On 20 July 1898 off Santiago de Cuba, a manhole gasket failed, filling the ship's fireroom with live steam and covering the floor plates with boiling water. Keefer worked courageously to haul fires from two furnaces of boiler B. His conduct earned the Medal of Honor.

Keefer died on 15 January 1949 in Maryland and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Iowa off Santiago de Cuba, 20 July 1898. Following the blow-out of a manhole gasket of that vessel which caused the fireroom to be filled with live steam and the floor plates to be covered with boiling water, Keefer showed courageous and zealous conduct in hauling fires from two furnaces of boiler B.