Osmond Ingram
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| Osmond Kelly Ingram | |
|---|---|
| August 4, 1887 – October 16, 1917 (aged 30) | |
 Osmond Kelly Ingram, Medal of Honor recipient |
|
| Place of birth | Pratt City, Alabama |
| Place of death | aboard the USS Cassin (DD-43) |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Rank | Gunners Mate 1st Class |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Osmond Kelly Ingram (4 August 1887 – 16 October 1917) was a sailor in the United States Navy during World War I who received the Medal of Honor posthumously.
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[edit] Biography
Born to Robert L. Ingram and his wife Naomi Elizabeth Lea in Pratt City, Alabama, Ingram entered the Navy 24 November 1903. His ship, Cassin, was attacked by the German submarine U-61 off Ireland on 16 October 1917. Gunner’s Mate First Class Ingram spotted the approaching torpedo, realized it would strike close by explosives, thus dooming the ship, and rushed to jettison the ammunition. He was blown overboard when the torpedo struck, thus becoming the first enlisted man killed in action in World War I as he saved his ship and shipmates. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on that day.
[edit] Namesake
The Navy named a destroyer after Ingram, the USS Osmond Ingram (DD-255), was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. Osmond Ingram decommissioned at Philadelphia 8 January 1946 and was struck from the Navy List 21 January 1946. It was sold for scrapping to Hugo Neu 17 June 1946.
Kelly Ingram Park is also named in his honor. It is a four acre (16,000 m²) park located in Birmingham, Alabama.
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Gunner's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 4 August 1887, Alabama. Accredited to. Alabama.
Citation:
- For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Cassin, on 15 October 1917. While the Cassin was searching for the submarine, Ingram sighted the torpedo coming, and realizing that it might strike the ship aft in the vicinity of the depth charges, ran aft with the intention of releasing the depth charges before the torpedo could reach the Cassin. The torpedo struck the ship before he could accomplish his purpose and Ingram was killed by the explosion. The depth charges exploded immediately afterward. His life was sacrificed in an attempt to save the ship and his shipmates, as the damage to the ship would have been much less if he had been able to release the depth charges.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
