MOH

Medal of Honor: Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan - World War I - May 21, 1918

A violent depth charge explosion rocked an American patrol vessel hunting German submarines in the Atlantic. As armed explosives rolled loose across the shattered deck, one naval officer threw himself into deadly danger to save his ship and crew.

May 21, 2026

Name: Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan
Rank: Ensign
Branch: U.S. Naval Reserve Force
War: World War I
Unit: USS Cristabel
Date of Action: May 21, 1918
Location: At sea during anti-submarine operations

Summary of Action

On 21 May 1918, Ensign Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan displayed extraordinary heroism while serving aboard the patrol vessel USS Cristabel during combat operations against a German submarine.

During the engagement, the Cristabel attacked the enemy submarine using depth charges.

One of the explosions detonated extremely close to the ship, violently shaking the vessel from bow to stern.

The tremendous concussion caused several armed depth charges on deck — already set and prepared for firing — to break loose and tumble dangerously across the deck.

At any moment, the explosives could have detonated.

Had that occurred, the resulting blast would almost certainly have destroyed the ship and killed large numbers of the crew.

Recognizing the immediate danger, Sullivan reacted instantly.

Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the loose depth charges and physically secured them before they could explode.

His courageous action prevented catastrophe and saved the Cristabel and her crew from disaster.

Medal of Honor Citation

SULLIVAN, DANIEL AUGUSTUS JOSEPH

Rank and organization: Ensign, U.S. Naval Reserve Force.
Born: 31 July 1884, Charleston, S.C.
Appointed from: South Carolina.

Citation:
For extraordinary heroism as an officer of the U.S.S. Cristabel in conflict with an enemy submarine on 21 May 1918. As a result of the explosion of a depth bomb dropped near the submarine, the Christabel was so badly shaken that a number of depth charges which had been set for firing were thrown about the deck and there was imminent danger that they would explode. Ens. Sullivan immediately fell on the depth charges and succeeded in securing them, thus saving the ship from disaster, which would inevitably have caused great loss of life.