"John Henry "Dick" Turpin"(August 20,1876-March 10,1962)

notable for surving the cataststrophic explosions of two U.S. Navy ships:USS Maine in 1898,and USS Bennington in 1905.
John  enlisted in the U.S.Navy in New York City on November 4 1896.He
was a Mess Attendant on Maine when it exploded in Havana under mysterious circumstances on the night of February 15,1898.He was in the pantry of the wardroom
when the explosion occurred,and felt the ship "heave and lift" before all went dark. John climed out of the wardroom on the captain's ladder and onto the deck.He
overboard and was rescued by a motor launch.John was one of 90 out the 350 officers aboard Maine that night to survive the explosion.According to an obituary
that appeared in  the Los Angeles Times,John (whose next ship assignment was not reported) saw
action in China during the 1900 Box Rebellion.BY mid-1905,John had been assigned
to the gunboat Bennington.
When that ship was raising steam for a depature from San Diego,California,on July 21,1905,she suffered a boiler explosion that sent men
machinery into the air and killed 66 of the 102 men aboard.John reportedly
saved three officers and twelve men by
swimming them to shore one at a time.Eleven men were awarded the Medal of Honor for "extraordinary heroism displayed at the time of the explosion,John was not among them.He served on several ships before leaving active duty service in 1916.After the U.S. entered World War I in April 1917,became a Chief
Gunner's Mate on the cruiser Marblehhead,which made him among the first
African American Chief Petty Offciers in the U.S.Navy.
John served at that rank until he was transferred to the fleet Reserve in March 1919.In October 1925,John retired at the rank of Chief Gunner's Mate.During his time in the Navy,he was the Navy boxing champion in several defferent weights classifications throughout his Navy career and was
boxing instructor at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis,Maryland.When was not on active duty,John was employed as a Master Rigger at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton,Washington;he was also qualified as a Master Diver in his civilian duties.During World War II,John voluntarily toured Navy training facillites and defense plants to
make "inspirations visits."
He died in Bremerton,washington.He was survived by his wife Faye Alice.