William Halford

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William Halford
August 18, 1841(1841-08-18) – February 7, 1919 (aged 77)
Coxswain William Halford, circa 1870
Place of birth	England
Place of death	Oakland, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1869 – 1910 1917 – 1919
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	USS Saginaw
Awards	Medal of Honor

William Halford (18 August 1841 – 7 February 1919) was a sailor, and later an officer, in the United States Navy. He also received the Medal of Honor.

1 Biography
2 Namesake
3 Medal of Honor citation
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Biography

Born in England, Halford enlisted in the United States Navy in 1869. He was serving on board Saginaw, when she ran aground near Midway Atoll on 29 October 1870. Halford was one of four sailors who volunteered to sail the ship's boat 1,500 miles to Honolulu for help, along with Lieutenant John G. Talbot. After great suffering, and 31 days at sea, the party reached Kauai Island 19 December. In attempting to land through the heavy surf, all but Halford were drowned, but he managed to reach shore and bring help to his shipmates. Halford received the Medal of Honor for his bravery and served until 1910, when he retired.

Promoted to Lieutenant on the retired list, he returned to the Navy in 1917.

He died on 7 February 1919 at Oakland, Calif.

[edit] Namesake

USS Halford (DD-480) was named for him.

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born: 18 August 1841, Gloucester, England. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 169, 8 February 1872.

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.