William Halford

One survivor crossed the Pacific to save stranded shipmates.

William Halford earned the Medal of Honor for surviving an extraordinary open-boat voyage across the Pacific Ocean and securing help for the stranded crew of USS Saginaw.

Born on 18 August 1841 in Gloucester, England, Halford enlisted in the United States Navy in 1869. He served as a coxswain aboard USS Saginaw, a side-wheel steamer assigned to Pacific operations. On 29 October 1870, the ship struck a reef at Kure Atoll, leaving her crew stranded.

On 18 November, Halford joined Lieutenant John G. Talbot and three other sailors in a small boat bound for the Hawaiian Islands to obtain assistance. After 31 days and approximately 1,500 miles at sea, the expedition reached Kauai on 19 December. Their boat capsized in the surf. Four members of the party died, and Halford alone survived to secure help for his shipmates.

He received the Medal of Honor under General Orders No. 169, dated 8 February 1872. In recognition of his exploit, he had been appointed acting gunner on 14 April 1871.

Halford continued his naval career aboard USS Benicia, USS Lackawanna and USS San Francisco before serving at Mare Island Navy Yard. Promoted to chief gunner in 1899, he retired in August 1903 and performed further active duty at Mare Island from November 1903 to November 1910. On 5 April 1917, he was ordered to active duty at the San Francisco Naval Training Station. On 1 July 1918, he received a temporary lieutenant appointment on the retired list.

Halford died in February 1919 while still serving. He was buried at Mare Island Naval Cemetery in Vallejo, California. The destroyer USS Halford (DD-480) was named in his honour.

Medal of Honor citation

Halford was sole survivor of the boat's crew sent to the Sandwich Islands for assistance after the wreck of the Saginaw, October 1870. Promoted to acting gunner.