Thomas Lakin

Thomas Lakin was born in New York around 1840 and later entered service in the United States Navy. By November 1874 he was serving as a Seaman aboard USS Narragansett, a screw sloop then connected with Pacific service and at Mare Island Navy Yard in California. During that month, two men from the ship fell into the water. Lakin immediately jumped overboard and succeeded in rescuing both men from drowning. For this act of gallant conduct, he received the Medal of Honor, then still frequently awarded for lifesaving and other acts of personal bravery outside combat. His later life, death date, and burial place appear to be unconfirmed in the commonly available Medal of Honor references.