George Charrette

George Charrette (June 6, 1867 – February 7, 1938) was an enlisted man and later officer in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Spanish-American War.

Biography

Charrette was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on June 6, 1867. He enlisted in the United States Navy September 24, 1884. As a Gunner's Mate third class, on June 2, 1898, he volunteered with seven others to sink USS Merrimac under heavy Spanish fire across the entrance to the harbor of Santiago, Cuba, thus bottling up the enemy fleet. Taken prisoner by the Spanish, Charrette was exchanged July 6, 1898. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism, although his name was misspelled as George Charette on the citation. Charrette was commissioned lieutenant on August 3, 1920, and retired from the Navy in 1925. He died February 7, 1938 in Lowell, Massachusetts and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.

Namesake

In 1943, the destroyer USS Charrette (DD-581) was named in his honor.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish–American War

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Naval Historical Center (2006-05-10). "US People - Charette, George". Online Library. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-c/g-chrett.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-07.